


Where We Go From Here

by TheGoodShipFluffy



Series: The "Where We" Cycle [4]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Cute, F/F, Fluff, light - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-04-04
Packaged: 2018-09-21 07:52:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 27,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9538613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGoodShipFluffy/pseuds/TheGoodShipFluffy
Summary: Following the immediate aftermath of the storm and the Dark Room, Max and Chloe set out to begin their life together.  Many kisses and cuddles ensue.Originally posted on FanFiction.net, and now it's being posted here, too!  The story is still going, but I hope that the AO3 edition will eventually manage to catch up with the FanFiction.net version.





	1. Waking Up In The New Normal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max wakes up in bed with her best friend- or maybe girlfriend?- in what is starting to become a pattern in her life.

                Max shuddered awake, sitting up with a little start and glancing around the room.  The sun peeked through the blinds as she clutched the cheap, slightly itchy covers to her chest and tried to calm down.  It wasn’t that she saw it every time she closed her eyes or anything, but this was the third time she’d woken up from a nightmare about the Dark Room.  It would take time to get past it, she knew. 

                Time was one thing she had, and in abundance.  But after all that had happened, she was happy to leave time to do its own thing for a while.  There was no rush, after all.  Who knew when classes would start again?  Or if Blackwell would even reopen?

                She settled back down onto the creaky bed, her breathing steadied.  Beside her, her companion stirred and rolled onto one side, stretching an arm across her and pulling her close.  Max smiled, and rolled over as well, returning the caress and nuzzling her face into neon blue hair.  The arm around her held her tight, and its hand gently stroked her back.

                “I’ve got you,” Chloe murmured, giving Max another light squeeze, “I’m here and I’ve got you.”  Max just lay in her arms quietly, smiling and letting Chloe’s warmth wash over her.  She was skinny and bony, and could never quite wash off the smell of cigarette smoke, but there was no place Max would rather be than in her arms, warm and safe and loved.

                They lay together for a few minutes.  Max buried her face in Chloe’s neck, and Chloe ran her hands through Max’s hair.  In time, the two tilted their faces towards one another, blue eyes meeting blue eyes.  Max’s heart and breathing sped up again, but for a delightfully different reason, and their lips touched.

***

                “We should probably get out of bed,” Max remarked, although she made no attempt to move from the crook of Chloe’s arm.  The taller girl reached over to the nightstand on her side of the bed and felt around for her phone, before finding it and checking the time.

                “We’ve got, like, two hours before checkout,” she protested, “And if we miss that, we just stay another day.  No biggie.  Not like either of us have places to be.”  Max sighed, and nuzzled against Chloe’s shoulder a little, wanting to just stay there forever.  But one of them would have to be the adult, and Max supposed it would have to be her.

                “At least text Joyce and let her know you’re safe,” Max pleaded, “How many times has she blown up your phone in the last few days?”

                “This isn’t the first time I’ve been missing,” Chloe replied, although Max could see her start a message out of the corner of one eye.  A cheery little ring signaled that the message was sent, and Chloe let the phone drop onto the bed, bringing her newly freed hand around to stroke Max’s hair some more.  Eventually, the smaller girl gently wriggled out of the embrace and sat up, again pulling the covers up to her chest.

                “You know I’ve seen those, right?” Chloe teased, “And more than seen.  You may remember; you were _there._ ” Max blushed and reached for her own phone, turning it on and checking the Blackwell email headcount thread.  “I swear you weren’t this modest back when we’d just do normal sleepovers.”

                “It just feels different now,” Max mumbled, “I know you’re looking, and I know you’re enjoying, and so I just kind of cover up on instinct.”  She glanced over her shoulder down at Chloe, who had been partially exposed when she’d sat up.

                “But you’ve got no problem staring yourself!” Chloe laughed as Max spaced out for a moment.  She sat up and put her arms around Max’s waist, peering over the brunette’s shoulder to see the email.  A majority of students were accounted for, it looked like.  She looked away before she got to how many students hadn’t made it.

                “Well, I’m hella sweaty,” Chloe declared after a few more minutes of cuddling, “I’m gonna go shower.” She climbed out of the bed and strode into the small bathroom, taking her time and not bothering with any sort of modesty.  Leaving the flimsy door open, she turned on the water, stepped in, and closed the translucent curtain.

                Max pulled her knees up to her chest and held them there for a moment, staring into space.  Being touched, looked at, desired…  She hadn’t thought about it much before these last few days.  Well, she _had_ , but in an abstract way.  Was she pretty enough?  Would she be good at… _it_?  Did anyone notice her?  Those thoughts had never had a face attached to them, until Mr. Jefferson had touched her, looked at her, and desired her, and she hated how dirty it made her feel.  But now Chloe was the one touching her, looking at her, and desiring her, and she loved how cherished _that_ made her feel.  Except when touching, feeling, and desiring reminded her of before, and things got confusing.

                She shook her head and got out of bed, stretching.  After all that had happened, covering up in front of her oldest friend, the girl she was pretty sure she loved, seemed like an almost childish thing to do.  How could she traverse time and space for a girl, then be too shy to just be naked?  “Everyone has a naked body,” her mother had told her once, reading from one of those books parents are supposed to read with their kids after their first period or whatever.  Chloe had a naked body.  A sexy, gorgeous naked body…

                “Shower’s all yours, Super Max!” Chloe announced, jaunting out of the bathroom.  She stopped when she saw Max already up and uncovered, and grinned.  Blushing, Max scurried into the bathroom and shut the door.  This was going to take some getting used to, she decided as she turned the water back on and stepped into the shower.  A lot of getting used to.


	2. Deep Thoughts on the Open Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Driving along Oregon highways and backroads, Chloe considers her feelings on the last few days.

                Chloe cranked the window down, then lit the cigarette she held in her teeth.  The crisp autumn air cooled the cab, which had been heating up in the midday sun, and she blew the first puff of hot smoke out the window as they drove along the coast road.  In the passenger seat, Max shivered a little at the sudden change in temperature, and zipped up her hoodie.

                “Do you wanna stop anywhere and get some food?” Chloe asked, hoping to engage Max, “I’m starving.” Max blinked a few times, shrugging out of whatever stupor she’d been in, and nodded.

                “Sure,” she replied, smiling lazily and resting back against the seat, “I’ll keep an eye out for food exits.”  She turned her face and looked out the window, watching the passing trees and road signs.

                There it was again.  That little bit of distance Max made between the two of them sometimes.  It was weird, Chloe thought.  She’d been pretty enthusiastic the night before, and even that morning.  Maybe it was related to those nightmares, and the Dark Room.  Max hadn’t gone into detail about what had gone down in there, but Chloe had been there when they first found it and looked through the pictures; she was pretty sure she could guess some of it.

                  It’s not like she could just expect someone to bounce back from that in a couple of days.  Especially not in unfamiliar waters.  At least, Chloe _assumed_ what they’d been doing were unfamiliar waters to Max.  She wasn’t a pillow princess or anything, but she was pretty unsure of what she was doing.  Then again, that could just as easily have been from her whole Dark Room experience.

                It wasn’t like Chloe was in perfect emotional shape, either.  Two weeks ago she’d been searching for a living Rachel Amber, one week ago Max had kissed her, and a few days ago Rachel had turned up dead in their junkyard.  Somewhere in there it had come up that Rachel had been seeing Frank, and that sure hadn’t helped.  Now she was sleeping with Max and trying not to think of a wrecked town. 

                She loved Max.  She had loved Rachel.  Maybe she still did.  Was it even possible to love two people at once?  Some people said so, but Chloe couldn’t help but notice how often they were married men trying to get into her pants.  It wasn’t like she was going to have to choose between them at some point, or anything.  She’d known Max way before Rachel, so it wasn’t like Max was some consolation prize to her.  If anything, Rachel had been a consolation prize after Max had left.  Fuck, that was a shitty thing to think!

                “It looks like there’s a few fast food places at the next exit,” Max remarked, cutting into Chloe’s thoughts, “Like, three varieties of cheap burgers and fries.  Sound okay?”  Chloe glanced over to see Max giving her a kind smile, awaiting an answer.

                “Sure,” Chloe replied, merging into the right lane, “I’m not real choosy.  I haven’t eaten since first thing this morning.”

                “We didn’t get anything this morning, though,” Max said, apparently a little confused, “We missed breakfast because we were- Oh.  Chloe!  Gross!”  She giggled regardless, and it was the sweetest sound Chloe had heard all day.

                “It didn’t bother you at the time!” Chloe shot back, laughing as they took the exit ramp off the highway.  Max sighed but leaned over, resting her head on Chloe’s shoulder and gently nuzzling.

                “You’re a perv,” she mumbled, smiling to herself as they pulled into a parking lot.

                “Yeah,” Chloe replied, “But I’m your perv.”  She parked and turned to kiss Max on the top of the head.  In return, Max sat up and leaned back in for a light kiss on the lips, draping her arms around Chloe’s neck.

                After a moment, they broke the kiss and climbed out of the truck.  Max smiled sheepishly and made her way toward the restaurant, while Chloe stopped to roll the window back up.  Tossing the used cigarette butt off to the side, she closed the door and followed after the shorter girl, hands in her pockets and a smug spring in her step.


	3. Hers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe check into yet another motel, and Max wastes no time in getting affectionate. Things come to a head when Chloe asks for some clarification on what this all means.

                The desk attendant returned Max’s debit card, along with a receipt to sign.  The price came out to less than Max had feared, but a bit more than she might have liked.  Regardless, she signed and handed the receipt back, thanking the clerk and taking the room key.

                Outside, Chloe leaned against the side of her truck, smoking a cigarette and watching the moon climb.  She looked a little broody, but not in the same sullen way that she used to.  Her jacket was zipped up most of the way, the chill of the evening having set in.

                “I got us a room,” Max declared, holding up the key as she approached.  Chloe turned, dropping her cigarette and stamping it out.  With a smile, she reached out and put an arm around Max’s waist, pulling her close.

                “Lead on,” she said, grabbing her purse and Max’s bag from the cab of her truck, “What magnificent chamber have we been granted in this palace?”

                “The venerable and storied suite of Room 004,” Max replied, laughing a little at her companion’s overblown eloquence.  They walked up to the door and stepped into the room, flicking on the light.

                The room looked more or less like the others they’d been staying in that week.  There were two twin beds, with drab looking covers and simple nighstands by each.  Across the room from the beds was a low chest of drawers with a CRT TV sitting on top of it.  The far side of the room had a small closet and a bathroom, all of it pretty standard.

                Chloe set their bags on the dresser and tossed herself onto a bed, bouncing a little as it creaked on impact.  Sitting up, she bounced a little bit more, eliciting more creaks from the bed but finding it mostly solid and comfy.

                “The email blast said that classes are cancelled for the rest of the semester,” Max stated, plugging her phone charger into the wall and setting her phone on a nightstand, “So it looks like I’m all yours until Thanksgiving.” She hadn’t been meaning it that way, but even saying that she was Chloe’s made her glow a little inside.

                “So, what’s the plan, then?” Chloe asked, unzipping her jacket and tossing it to one corner of the room, then propping herself up on her elbows, “Just wander around Oregon and Washington?”  Max took off her hoodie and hung it up in the little closet the room had, before sitting on the bed and turning towards Chloe.

                “There are some things I’d like to get from my Blackwell dorm,” she said, settling down onto the bed beside Chloe, “But other than that I don’t know.  We can’t just stay in motels every night for the next month and a half, though.”

                “I’d offer to let you crash at my place, but I think someone’s bathtub caved in my roof,” Chloe remarked, rolling onto her side and facing Max, “Maybe I could drive you up to Seattle?  I don’t have any reason to be in Arcadia Bay, and it’s not like it’s a long trip, anyway.”  Max smiled at her and skootched closer, nuzzling her face into Chloe’s chest.

                “Can we make it a long trip?” the brunette asked, pressing the side of her face to Chloe’s sternum.  She could hear Chloe’s heartbeat, the steady pulse a little faster than her own.  For all that her world had become chaos over the last two weeks, moments like this felt like perfect islands of calm and safety.  Even after things had settled from “existentialist nightmare” chaotic to just “modern hipster nomad” chaotic, the nights with Chloe were the highlight of her life at this point.

                Max felt Chloe wrap her arms around her and roll onto her back, holding Max close against her chest.  More than anything she had ever felt, being in Chloe’s arms always felt right.  To feel herself pressed against her soft breasts and softer skin, to hear the gentle breathing and steady beat of her heart, to see the blue hair and worn tanktop.  Even Chloe’s smell of cheap cigarettes and generic brand men’s deodorant had come to mean safety and comfort to her.

                Chloe’s hands ran through her hair and down along her neck and back, gently caressing her.  At the same time, she could feel the taller girl lean up and kiss the top of her head.  Responding with a gentle cooing noise, Max nuzzled against Chloe’s chest with renewed enthusiasm, happily pressing her cheek against the thin fabric of Chloe’s shirt.

                “Max, I love you,” Chloe murmured, her arms wrapping tightly around the smaller girl.  Max could hear Chloe’s heartbeat speed up as she made her confession, and she could _feel_ the words vibrating in Chloe’s chest as they were spoken.  In response, she pushed herself and moved forward until her face was level with Chloe’s, their foreheads pressed together and their breath breaking against one another’s lips.

                “Chloe Price, I love you, too,” Max whispered in reply, touching her lips to Chloe’s.  They had kissed before.  They had cuddled before.  They had done more than that, even.  But the act of _saying_ they loved each other added a whole new dimension to it all, Max thought. 

                Max cupped Chloe’s cheek in her hand, pulling her face back a little to gaze into the other’s eyes for a moment.  She adored those lovely blue eyes, so piercing but somehow still so loving when they wanted to be.  Chloe stared up at her with tender affection and almost rapturous awe, before leaning up to kiss her once more.  One hand wrapped tightly around Max’s waist, the other rested at the back of Max’s head, and she rolled the two of them over again, so that she was crouched over the petite brunette.

                Max’s heart pounded in her chest as she lay there beneath Chloe, wrapped up in the young rebel’s embrace.  She could already sense that this night was going the way of the last night, and the one before that.  Confusing, a little scary, and altogether wonderful.  But Chloe paused for a moment, climbing off of her and resting at her side.

                “What’s wrong?” Max asked, glancing around and then back at Chloe, “Did I- Did I do something wrong?” This was all still so new, she wasn’t entirely sure what she was doing.  Mostly, she just took what she thought she’d like and did that to Chloe, assuming she’d like that just as much.  Was that not right?  Oh, God, was Max weird?!

                “No, you’re fine,” Chloe reassured her, although she sounded ambivalent, “I just…” She bit her lip and searched for words.  “We keep cuddling then kissing then screwing, and I need to hear you say that that’s what you want, too.”

                “Chloe, I just said I love you!” Max answered, taken aback, “I jumped through time and fought my own demons to save you!  I sacrificed the town for you!” What more did she want?

                “I know you love me, Max,” Chloe said in a wavering voice, staring past her and at the drab beige wall, “Jesus, you’ve gone through so much shit for me, I know that you love me.  But, if we do this again, I need to know that it means as much to you as it does to me.”  She met Max’s gaze again.  “I’m crazy for you, Max.  You don’t have to feel the same way; Hell, you don’t owe me shit.  I only want to keep doing this if you’re just as hot for me as I am for you…”  Max stared into her eyes, processing the fear and pain and hope she saw there.

                “Chloe, it’s been a crazy few weeks,” Max sighed, keeping her eyes fixed on Chloe’s, “I’ve been groped, assaulted, kidnapped, threatened, and even mocked by weird mental doppelgangers of people.  Believe me when I say that there is no place I’d rather be than here, and no one I’d rather be making love to than you.”  She blushed as she finished her statement, but she didn’t care.  Chloe was worth a blush, at the very least.

                “’Making love?’” Chloe repeated, her voice joyful as she wiped tears from her eyes, “God, Max, you’re such a dork!”  She laughed and sobbed at once, her shoulders heaving as she pulled Max close and buried her face in soft brown hair.

                “Yeah,” Max replied, holding her tight, “But I’m your dork.”  Shifting to get a good angle, Max kissed Chloe’s tears off her cheeks before gently breaking their embrace and lying on her back.

                “All yours,” she reiterated, catching Chloe’s eye and grinning.  Chloe wiped away the last of the tears and smiled back, taking on an impish look as she brought her face very close to Max’s.

                “That’s all I needed to hear,” Chloe murmured before plunging into another deep, loving kiss.


	4. Out for a Smoke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe gets up in the middle of the night, stepping out to have a smoke and pondering what her life is becoming.

                Chloe slouched, propped up by a stack of pillows she and Max had built up where the bed met the wall.  It was late, but she just couldn’t fall asleep.  The warm weight of Max rested against her, head on her chest and an arm draped over her belly.  Max was mostly covered by the blankets, but Chloe was uncovered from about the ribcage up.  Max might be all modest, but Chloe didn’t mind being naked.  Hell, she kind of liked it.  It made her feel like a Greek goddess or something.  Maybe Artemis.  That was the huntress one, right?  It made sense.  She had caught a little doe of her own.

                She stroked Max’s hair as she idly flipped through cable channels with the sound off.  There wasn’t much else to be doing, really.  Unless she wanted to wake Max up and mess around some more.  It was _so_ tempting, but she decided to just let her sweetheart sleep for now.

                Lifting the blankets, Chloe took a moment to admire her.  Max looked so small and delicate, her pale, slender form nestled close beside Chloe.  She knew it was probably those happy hormones people got after sex or whatever, but it felt like she and Max fit together perfectly.

                Letting the blankets fall back down to cover them up again, Chloe gently squeezed Max against her, eliciting a happy little sound from the smaller girl.  It was stupid, but sitting like this, the base that Max wrapped herself around, and the bigger of the two, made her feel strong.  When she had first been reunited with Max that day in the parking lot with Nathan, she had felt like some kind of knight or hero, swooping in on a white steed to rescue the damsel in distress.  Of course, every attempt since then she’d made to save the day with violent bravado had backfired spectacularly, and Max had had to be there to solve things in her own soothing, gentle way.

                Deciding there was nothing on, Chloe switched off the TV and sat in the darkness, just enjoying being beside Max.  What more could she ever want?  Chemical dependency arrived to answer that question, though, and Chloe could feel herself getting antsy.  She really, really, _really_ wanted to stay in bed with Max, but her pack of cigarettes had different plans.

                With a sigh, she slid out of bed and gently eased Max down against the pillow pile, readjusting the blankets around her.  Clicking on her phone, Chloe searched the floor for her clothes, settling for her jacket as a top and her boyshorts and jeans as bottoms.  Stepping out into the cold, she sat on the curb outside the door and opened her carton of smokes.

                There weren’t many left, but she plucked one out and lit it, drawing in the hot fumes and letting them sink into her lungs.  It wasn’t a super glamorous habit, she knew, but she was stuck with it.  She rested her arms on her knees, watching the little glow at the tip of the cigarette as it slowly burned its way up to the butt.  Hesitantly, she reopened the carton and counted how many she had left, frowning as she took her time puffing on the one she held.  When the cigarette ran out, she flicked the butt away, affecting an exaggerated somber attitude. 

Standing, she dusted herself off and stepped back into the room.  It felt nice to step out of the haze of burnt tar and tobacco and into the warm room.  Not that the room didn’t smell, either.  On top of the normal motel odor, the space smelled faintly of sweat and sex.  Grinning to herself, Chloe slid out of her jacket and stepped out of her pants, eagerly climbing back into bed with Max.

The brunette had shifted some in Chloe’s absence, and was mumbling some in her sleep.  Even as Chloe slipped under the covers, she tossed and turned, whimpering a little.  Not sure what else to do, Chloe carefully snaked an arm around Max again, holding her close more or less as she had before she left.  Snuggling up closer to Chloe, Max calmed down, but Chloe could feel her eyes blinking open.

“Did you go someplace?” Max asked, tilting her face up to look at Chloe.

“Just outside to smoke,” Chloe replied, “I couldn’t sleep.  I didn’t mean to wake you up, though.  Sorry.” She frowned a little, feeling guilty that she’d disturbed Max yet again for something stupid.  But the shorter girl just shifted up a little and nuzzled into the crook of Chloe’s neck.

“I wish I’d known,” Max murmured, “I would’ve come up with some excuse to keep you in bed with me.”  Chloe smiled and stroked Max’s hair, turning to kiss her on the forehead.

“Well, I promise I’m staying put for the rest of the night,” Chloe reassured her.

“Can I give you an excuse anyway?” Max asked, leaning up to kiss Chloe on the cheek.

“Sure,” Chloe replied, turning to touch her lips to Max’s.


	5. A Princess and Her Knight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max takes it upon herself to wake Chloe up with a kiss, and the two exchange some banter.

      The soft light of the morning sun being filtered through the translucent curtains lit the room as Max lazily blinked her eyes open.  Her cheek was pressed against Chloe’s chest, and the taller girl’s arms were wrapped around her, holding her close.  Closing her eyes again, Max nuzzled against Chloe, smiling as she listened to the steady heartbeat. 

       The gentle rise and fall of Chloe’s chest felt really soothing, and Max loved being wrapped up in her arms.  After everything that had happened, it felt nice to just be held.  Chloe was gangly, but Max could feel the strength in her limbs, giving her a sense of safety and protection.  She could stay like this forever.

      Chloe was all she wanted.  Max wanted to kiss Chloe, and only Chloe.  She wanted to touch Chloe, and only Chloe.  She wanted to share herself with Chloe, and only Chloe.  They were only eighteen years old, she knew, but she couldn’t imagine what a future without Chloe would look like.  After all, that’s why she’d chosen to let the tornado tear through Acradia Bay.  True, the destruction hadn’t been as bad as she’d feared, but there was no way she could have known that at the time.  All she knew was that Chloe mattered more to her than literally anyone or anything else in the world.

     Gently and carefully, Max shifted from Chloe’s side until she was straddling her.  Her face flushed a little at the way their bodies pressed together, and at resting atop Chloe.  It was silly, she knew.  She didn’t have anything to hide from Chloe, but old habits die hard, and being assertive was still new to her.

     Nevertheless, Max leaned forward, lightly pressing a kiss to Chloe’s soft lips as she slept.  After a moment, Chloe began to respond, moving her hands down to Max’s hips and grasping them gently.  Slowly pulling out of the kiss, Max rested her forehead against Chloe’s, looking into her eyes as they blinked open.

     “Oh my, a handsome prince has woken me from my slumber!” Chloe exclaimed, smiling, “How can I ever repay such gallantry?”  Max giggled.

     “I’m not a prince,” she replied, leaning back and giving Chloe a good view of her as if to prove the point, “Just a princess who loves her trusty knight.”  Chloe blushed a little and sat up, wrapping her arms around Max and pulling their bodies close together.  Bringing their lips together once more, Max grasped at Chloe’s shoulders, holding on tight as they sank into a cascade of increasingly heated kisses and caresses.  Until her stomach gurgled loudly.

     “Would m’lady like to be escorted to some breakfast?” Chloe laughed, pulling back a little to smile at Max.  Max glanced down, embarrassed that her sexy moment had evaporated over something so silly.  She was hungry, though…

     “Yes, fair knight,” she declared, putting on a tone that she hoped salvaged the situation a little, “Let us ride out from this castle for pancakes and bacon.”


	6. Choices and Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe's not quite ready to let herself believe Max is serious about her. Max takes drastic measures to convince her.

Chloe slouched in the booth, waiting for Max to come back.  She was still glowing from when they had woken up, and Max had called her her knight.  That stuff- knight, princess, castle, dumb pet-names and shit- was all just play, she knew, but it felt nice all the same.  To be trusted, to be somebody else’s rock for once.  It helped that she got to pay for food, and half the motels.  With stolen money, but still. 

“Okay, I found a brochure!” Max announced, returning to the booth and scooting in beside Chloe, “It’s got Oregon and Washington both on the map, so it should work.”  She unfolded the pamphlet and took out a pencil, marking Arcadia Bay, Seattle, and the little town they were in.

“I feel like we can go south and get back to Blackwell today pretty easily,” she went on, drawing a line from their location to their hometown, “We can both check in on people and get stuff for a longer trip.  Especially some fresh clothes.” 

“Yeah, I guess we are getting kinda ripe,” Chloe conceded, lifting one arm to smell her coat and then snaking it around Max’s waist, “What do we do after that?”  She wanted to see her mom again, just to make sure she was alright.  Fuck, she even kind of wanted to make sure David was okay.  But after that, she was pretty much aimless, and content to ferry Max around.

“Eventually, I need to get home to Seattle,” Max said, “But there’s no rush.  We could go to Portland.” She circled the city on the map.  “Or we could go to some state parks.  I don’t know.  What do you wanna do?”  Chloe pondered the question, idly running her hand up and down Max’s side.

“Some nature hikes do sound fun,” she remarked, “And I’d love to go to Portland again.  How about this?” She took the pencil from Max’s hand and drew a circuitous route from Arcadia Bay around Oregon, passing through Portland and a few parks before winding up into Washington, hitting several more forests on the way up to Seattle.  With a leisurely pace, she hoped they could stretch that into a decent amount of time.  Max studied her plan, and nodded.

“Yeah, that looks good,” Max agreed, snuggling a little closer to Chloe, “Oh man, I’m going to take so many pictures!  It’s gonna be great!” She nuzzled against Chloe’s shoulder, eliciting a few glances from other guests at the diner.  Chloe was used to yokels staring at her punk-rock look, but getting looks for the cutie on her arm was new; Rachel had never even been willing to hug her in public.  _Fuck ‘em,_ she thought to herself, casually downing the last swig of her orange juice.

After settling on their route, they got out of their booth and Chloe settled up at the register.  Once they were all paid, Chloe took Max’s hand and confidently led her out of the diner and to the truck.  She even opened Max’s door for her.

“You’re being so genteel,” Max remarked as Chloe climbed into the driver’s seat, “That’s a word I never thought I’d use for you!”  She laughed, and Chloe’s face burned.  She knew Max was trying to be funny, but she still felt a little awkward about it.

“I’m just really proud to be with you,” Chloe stated, starting the engine and pulling out of the parking space, “And I want to enjoy every minute of it, as long as it lasts.”  She turned south out of the parking lot and started to drive down the quiet country road.

“’As long as it lasts,’” Max repeated, studying Chloe’s face, “Chloe, what do you think is going on here?” Chloe’s heart fell, and her stomach did somersaults.  They were finally about to have _that_ conversation.  Max had been insisting that she loved Chloe, and Chloe pretty much believed her, but it was one thing to love a girl in a hotel room miles away from anyone you knew.  Loving a girl and telling other people, well, that was something totally different.

“I- Well- It’s-“ Chloe tried to find the right words, “Nevermind.  It’s stupid.”  Max sighed and shook her head.

“Pull over,” she ordered.  After a split second’s consideration, Chloe obeyed and came to a stop at the side of the road in a patch of forest.  Max opened her door and started walking away from the road, turning and looking at Chloe.  “Come over here!”

Nervously, Chloe took her key out of the ignition and followed, to where Max was bent over, picking wildflowers.  She wasn’t sure where Max was going with this, but at least she had called her over.  That was a good sign, right?

Clutching a handful of flowers, Max took her by the hand and pulled her over to a spot under a few trees where the branches made a little canopy.  After placing Chloe where she wanted her, Max took a few steps back and held the flowers in both hands.  Chloe’s heart sped up; she saw where this was going.

“Chloe, I love you,” Max said, fixing her eyes on Chloe’s, “I really want you to believe that.  But at this point, I don’t know what more I can do to show you so maybe you’ll finally get it.”  Her words were almost harsh, but her tone was gentle and kind.  “So I guess we’ll give this a try.”  She took a small step forward, still looking into Chloe’s eyes as they started to well up.

“Chloe Price, I, Max Caulfield, choose you,” Max declared, “With the option to choose whatever life I want, whatever destiny I want, I choose you.”  She stood right in front of Chloe now, looking up at her.  “I’m in love with you, and I’m choosing to act on that love.”  Tears were streaming down Chloe’s cheeks now, and she brought a hand up to her mouth, covering the crying smile she’d always hated.  Max reached up and pulled the hand away, squeezing it in her own.

“I’m standing here, with you, and that’s where I’ve chosen to be,” she went on, “But that’s the most I can do.  The rest has to be you.”  She glanced away for a moment, a few tears of her own falling as Chloe stood there, paralyzed with a mix of fear and excitement, dread and joy.  “Chloe Price, I want to be your wife.  Now it’s up to you to decide if that’s what I’ll be.”  Chloe pulled her hand out of Max’s and then lifted the brunette into a tight, desperate embrace.  After a moment of standing there holding Max, Chloe set her down, but still held her close.

“Max Caulfield, I, Chloe Price, want you to be my wife,” Chloe murmured, fighting to keep her voice even amidst her tears, “I promise to love you, and to stay by your side, and to trust you when you tell me that’s where you want me to be.”  Max broke out crying in response, smiling through the tears and burying her face in the crook of Chloe’s neck.

“And I promise to love you, too,” Max replied, “I promise to share my bed, my secrets, and my life with you.  I promise to hold your hand with pride, and to stand by you over all others, and to tell anyone who asks that I am madly in love with Chloe Price.”  She pulled back slightly, staying in Chloe’s embrace but standing so that she could smile up at her, wiping tears from her eyes.  “You may kiss the bride.”

It was all the permission Chloe needed, and she immediately leaned in and kissed Max with as much passion as she could muster.  Small, delicate hands ran through her blue hair, and the soft warmth of Max’s frame washed over her as they stood, lips locked and arms enmeshed.  This moment was perfect, she thought.  Eventually, she released Max and stood back a little, grinning down at her love.

“Max, that was hella sweet,” she said, taking the brunette’s hand and squeezing it tight, “I’m sorry I was so worried and shit.  But…  Well, I’m just super glad with how it all turned out.”  Max smiled up at her and slipped one of the flowers into the breast pocket of Chloe’s jacket.

“It’s more beautiful every time,” Max replied, wiping a small droplet of blood from where it trickled from her nose.


	7. Return to Arcadia Bay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe come back to Arcadia Bay to pack for a longer trip. Chloe is reunited with Joyce.

“Well, I promise to make you breakfast when you’re hungover,” Max said, lightly tracing her thumb over the back of Chloe’s hand.  She rested back against the seat and smiled, enjoying the game and savoring the afternoon sun streaming in through the passenger window.  For the few hours since their little ceremony by the side of the road, they’d been exchanging promises on and off, drifting into other conversations and then coming back.  At first they’d been grandiose and romantic, but had soon devolved into lighthearted teasing.

“Okay, then I promise not to get out of bed when you fart in your sleep,” Chloe replied, shooting her a cheeky grin.  Max leaned over to lightly swat her arm, feigning a scandalized look.

“I do _not_ fart in my sleep!” Max exclaimed, laughing a little.

“You totally do, though!” Chloe insisted, “And I promise to not get out of bed when you do.”

“Fine, then I promise to only use emojis for special occasions,” Max stated, bringing Chloe’s hand to her lips and kissing her knuckles.

“Good,” Chloe replied, “Then I promise not to whine so much when you do.”  The road began to wind a little as they approached Arcadia Bay, and Max steeled herself for what she might find.  From what she’d been hearing, things weren’t _too_ bad, but the boardwalk and Main Street were pretty totaled.  She looked over at Chloe, who continued to drive with one hand on the steering wheel, eyes forward.  It was worth it, she knew.  She wouldn’t change her decision for the world.

Rounding the last gentle curve, they passed into the city limits of Arcadia Bay.  The roads had at least been cleared, Max noted, and most of the houses this far out from the town center looked alright.  There were some downed tree branches, some broken windows, but mostly alright.

The closer to the center of town they got, though, the worse things looked.  More and more buildings were damaged or outright destroyed.  After a detour or two, they reached Chloe’s house.

“I just want to grab some stuff for the trip,” Chloe explained, hopping out of the cab.  Max could see through her, though, and climbed out of the passenger side, jogging to catch up with Chloe and take her hand.  As they reached the front door, Max gave the hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Hello?” Chloe called as she opened the door, “Mom?  Are you home?”  They’d been in contact, Max knew, but she was still probably super worried.  Max would be.

“Chloe?!” Joyce called from upstairs, “Oh, Lord, Chloe!” Max heard Joyce sprint to the top of the stairs, and then saw her run down to the two of them, taking the steps two at a time.  Barreling into her daughter, Joyce pulled Chloe’s hand from Max’s as she squeezed her tight.

“I’m just so relieved to see you!” she exclaimed, starting to break down into tears, “And Max!” She turned to face her, only partially releasing her daughter, “You two were here when the rain started, then we had no idea where you’d gone!  But you’re both safe!”  She pulled Max into the hug as well.

“Um, where’s David?” Max asked when she and Chloe were finally released.  Joyce smiled, wiping tears from her face.

“Oh, he’s out with the other volunteers,” Joyce told her, “Helping to clean up and such.  Been worried sick about you, Chloe, even if you think he doesn’t care.” Chloe scoffed and glanced away.

“He’s a big hero now, though,” she went on, “He found some Blackwell teacher out in a bunker in the woods, doing awful things- well, you don’t need to know the details.  But oh, he’s just so proud of himself!”

“Yeah, I bet he’ll be impossible to live with now,” Chloe grumbled, starting up the stairs, “Like he wasn’t already.”  Joyce sighed and Max shook her head.  She had told Chloe what had happened in the timeline before this one, where David had saved her.  About how he had been so overjoyed when Max had lied and told him Chloe was safe.  But Chloe could be stubborn.

“Well, that had less profanity than usual, at least,” Joyce remarked, turning her attention to Max and leading her into the kitchen, “I guess you are having a good influence on her after all, Max.  Thank you for taking such good care of my little girl.”  Max blushed.  Joyce had no idea, of course.  Did she?  Oh, God, did she?!  Max shivered, but tried not to let it show.

“If anything, she looks out for me,” Max replied as they sat down at the little table in the living room, “I’m just glad all of us are safe.”  She felt a twinge of guilt, knowing that not everyone in town made it.  She just hadn’t known anyone who died in the storm.

“So, what are you gonna do now?” Joyce asked, “They say Blackwell’s closed until next year.  I’d offer to let you stay here, but all we’ve got is the pullout couch, now that Chloe’s room got the surprise skylight.  I guess the two of you could share it…”  Max turned her face away for a moment to hide her blush.  Seriously, she couldn’t possibly know, right?

“Chloe’s actually driving me home to Seattle,” Max explained, looking back when she felt her face cool, “I’m sure she can stay with my family for a few months, if the storm’s made it hard to have more people living here.”

“That _would_ help,” Joyce conceded, “Like I said, her room’s unlivable right now, and having one less mouth to feed for a bit would mean we could repair the room faster.  And Lord knows she doesn’t have any responsibilities here.  I think a change of scenery could be good for her.”  Max was relieved.  Chloe was an adult and could do what she liked, but she was glad that it would be that little bit easier to stay together for longer.

“Alright, I’ve got my bags,” Chloe announced, clomping down the stairs and coming back to the living room, “I put the rest of my crap against the far wall.  _Don’t_ go into my closet.  Has Max told you our plan?”

“Yes,” Joyce replied, standing and walking to meet her daughter, “Just…  Promise me you’ll be safe, and you’ll text me at least once a day to let me know you’re alright.”  She pulled Chloe into a hug again, holding her tight.  Chloe rolled her eyes at Max for a moment, before letting her duffel bags drop and returning the hug.

“Alright, I promise,” she said, “We’ll send you all sorts of cool pics of our adventures and stuff.”  With smiles and tears, Joyce said her goodbyes to Max and Chloe as they left for Blackwell.  Once they were out of sight, Chloe pulled over and parked, taking a few minutes to sob with relief.  Max reached over and gently rubbed her shoulder, sitting quietly and just letting Chloe have her moment.

“Okay, I’m good,” Chloe declared once she was finished, sitting up again and wiping her face, “It’s cool.  It’s cool.”  She got onto the road again and reached out to take Max’s hand, squeezing it as they made their way to Blackwell.

The parking lot was fairly empty when they arrived.  With students gone and most of the faculty on leave, it made sense, but it still felt a little weird.  Max thought of the time she and Chloe had been parked in that lot in the middle of the night, on their little heist.  It was only a week earlier, but it felt like a lifetime ago. 

“So, what all do you need?” Chloe asked as they made their way to the dorms.  The taller girl walked with her usual nonchalance, hands clasped behind her head, but Max walked with a bit more caution.  There was nothing here that would hurt her, she reminded herself.  Mr. Jefferson was in jail someplace, probably.  And Nathan, well, Nathan was dead.  She thought.  He was dead in the next timeline over, she knew, and she figured he was probably dead in this one.  Sure enough, a little memorial was set up by the doorway to the boys’ dorm.  A pretty sparse memorial.

“Clothes, mostly,” Max said, opening the building and holding the door open for Chloe, “My computer, my toothbrush, stuff like that.  And film, of course.”  They stepped into the stairwell and started up to Max’s floor.

“Naturally,” Chloe remarked, smiling, “I don’t think I ever saw your room, come to think of it.  Kind of ironic.”

“Yes,” Max agreed, unlocking the second floor door and stepping into the hall, “’The Final Frontier.’”

“Nah, the final frontier is butt stuff,” Chloe joked.  Max groaned and rolled her eyes as they walked down the hall, blushing a little at the thought but still laughing a bit at the joke.  It was a joke, right?  After a moment, they reached Max’s room, and she unlocked the door, leading Chloe in.

“Here it is,” she announced as the door closed behind Chloe, “My superhero fortress of solitude!”  Chloe snickered, but quieted down as she looked around.  The pictures, lanterns, and posters were just as Max had left them, but it looked like movers or someone had been through to return Kate’s rabbit.  Just as well, Max thought. 

“This is beautiful,” Chloe murmured, taking in her surroundings, “Really, Max, this just looks magical.”  Max smiled as she hastily packed a duffel bag.

“It’s not really a big deal,” she replied, zipping up the bag and going to retrieve her laptop and charger from the desk, “Just some little lamps and a whole lot of selfies, mostly.”  Chloe stepped up behind her, wrapping her arms around Max’s waist.

“Well, I think your selfies are pretty beautiful,” Chloe whispered.  Max closed her eyes and leaned back against her… girlfriend?  Paramore?  Lover?  Maybe they really should just use wife?  She didn’t care what word she used.  She leaned against her Chloe.

“Well, I’m all packed now,” Max said quietly, running her hands along Chloe’s forearms, “Ready to start our big adventure.”  She felt Chloe’s lips on her cheek, warm and gentle.

“No dorm sex?” Chloe asked, feigning exaggerated disappointment.  Max smiled to herself, and glanced out her window, seeing the deserted grounds.

“Well…”


	8. A Beautiful Butterfly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their busy day, Chloe and Max splurge on a slightly nicer hotel and enjoy a romantic night in.

                Wife.  Wife.  Wife.  Wife, wife, wifewifewife.

                The word echoed in Chloe’s mind as they pulled into the parking lot of another motel.  All day, ever since she had had her little insecurity moment and Max had done that fucking amazing little ceremony thing, she’d been thinking it.  Sure, she’d thought about other things, too.  Driving, for instance.  Also, her mom, packing, hiding her stuff so her mom and the step-douche- er, _David_ \- wouldn’t mess with it if they got people in to repair her ceiling.  But in the background of her mind, that sweet syllable played on repeat.

                Obviously, she knew Max wasn’t _really_ her wife.  Not yet, anyway.  She’d just said she’d wanted to be.  But even just saying it symbolically had meant a lot to Chloe.  She reached up and felt the flower in her pocket, still where Max had left it.  Like usual, she stayed with the truck and had a smoke while Max went in to get them a room, this time with a wad of cash from Wells’s money envelope. 

                But holy shit, “wife!”  Reality and logistics aside, the concept just made her glow.  And Max had implied she’d been reliving that moment over and over again.  What now, though?  Were they “dating?”  They hadn’t really had any formal dates, but Chloe had never really had any formal dates.  Well, there was one boy back when she was like fifteen.  They’d gone out to lunch, and there’d been a half-hearted hug at the end, but Chloe hadn’t been feeling it, so they never went on a second.  After that, there was no dating.  Hanging out, messing around, fucking, sure, but no “dating.”

                Her phone buzzed, and she checked it:  Max had gotten them a room and was waiting inside.  Grabbing their bags from the cab, Chloe made her way to the lobby, where Max was waiting.  Taking her bag and Chloe’s hand, Max led the way down a hallway of identical doors to the one that matched the envelope of room keys she’d been given.  This place was a little nicer than the other places they’d been staying in, Chloe had noticed.  They were inside, for one thing, and she had seen a pool.  Fitting for a honeymoon, she thought to herself.

                Even the room was nicer.  A little desk and chair were in the corner, and the chest of drawers was actually made of wood.  The television was plasma, not CRT.  Everything smelled clean.  It was just a Holiday Inn, but to Chloe, it was a palace.

                Setting her bag down, Max hopped up onto the queen sized bed, falling back and waving her arms and legs as if she was making a snow angel.  Placing her own bag next to Max’s, Chloe kicked off her boots and joined Max.  Immediately, Max grabbed her and pulled her close, burying her face in Chloe’s neck.  Surrendering to her impulses, Chloe slid down to bring her face next Max’s, touching her lips to the brunette’s.  Just like always, sparks flew for her as the two of them sank into the kiss.

                When their lips parted, Chloe rested her forehead against Max’s, opening her eyes to gaze into her love’s.  Time seemed to stand still as they lay there together, and Chloe reached up to slowly and gently run her fingers over Max’s soft, freckled cheek.  After a moment of staring at one another, Max’s eyes blinked, and Chloe grinned.

                “I win the staring contest!” she cried triumphantly, sitting up and throwing her arms into the air.  Max laughed and sat up as well, finally slipping off her own shoes.

                “Want to go out to the pool?” Max asked, “It’s kind of cold, but I’ll bet there’s a hot tub.”  Chloe nodded her agreement.

                “It was a lot of fun last time we went swimming,” she noted, throwing her legs over the side of the bed and pulling her socks off, “If you don’t mind going in in just our underwear again, I’m game.”

                “Definitely!” Max replied, taking her camera out of her bag and setting it next to their keycards, “We can hang them up in the bathroom to dry afterwards.  It’ll be fine.”  They grabbed some towels from the bathroom and left the room, padding down the hall and out to the pool.

                The air was cool, and the tiles felt cold against Chloe’s bare feet.  Moving on tiptoes to minimize her contact with the cold ground, she hurried over to the small hot tub beside the pool and pulled off her shirt, tossing it onto one of the deck chairs.  Once she’d tossed her jeans after the shirt, she stepped into the hot water, wincing slightly at the sudden contrast of temperatures.  As she sat down, Max switched on the jets and rushed over, setting her clothes by Chloe’s and her camera by the edge of the pool. 

                Chloe watched with amusement as Max gingerly dipped her toes into the water.  Gasping at the heat, Max descended the steps until she stood in the center of the pool, then sat down beside Chloe so that their thighs touched.  Once Max was settled, Chloe reached an arm around her and gently held her close.  In response, Max rested against Chloe’s shoulder, humming peacefully.

                The underwater lights illuminated their bodies as they cuddled in the small pool, and the rippling water distorted the image.  Max lifted her camera and held it in front of them, carefully setting the angle.

                “Smile!” She whispered, looking into the camera, and Chloe obeyed.  With a flash and a click, the picture was taken, and Max set the camera back down, plucking the polaroid from it.  After waving it back and forth for a moment to let it develop, she brought it up and showed Chloe.  “How do we look?”

                Chloe was a little startled.  She knew generally what the picture was gonna be, of course.  She was in it, after all.  Her, Max, close and mostly naked, mostly underwater, and lit from beneath.  But she was amazed at the way she looked in the picture.  No ironic face, no middle finger, no bong.  Her attitude was a part of who she was, and she wasn’t going to drop it overnight or anything, but she just looked so happy in the photograph.  She’d known that these past few weeks had had some of the happiest moments she’d lived in years, but here was photographic evidence.

                “It’s- It’s great, Max,” she managed to stammer.  Max set the picture an arm’s length away from the hot tub, then leaned in to give Chloe a light little peck on the cheek.  Glancing around to make sure they were alone, she climbed up and straddled Chloe, resting as low as she could to stay mostly underwater.  Carefully, she took Chloe’s hands and guided them down to her hips.

                “Do you dare me to kiss you?” Max asked in a quiet, sensual voice, draping her arms around Chloe’s neck.

                “Totally,” Chloe replied.

                “Do you _double_ dare me to kiss you?”

                “Max Caulfield, I triple dare you to kiss me!” Chloe jabbed, another smile spreading across her face.  Obliging, the little brunette leaned in and pressed her lips to Chloe’s, the tender kiss soon becoming a fond kiss, and then full on making out.  Chloe brought her hands up and took handfuls of Max’s hair, who in turn pressed herself even closer to Chloe, shifting back and forth in her lap.

                “Chloe,” Max breathed in a quick moment of detachment from the kiss.

                “Mm?” Chloe asked, seizing her lips again and holding her tight, letting her hands start to wander.  Gently, Max pushed herself away a little, breaking the kiss and holding Chloe back.  Chloe glared at her, eyes pleading with her to return.

                “I, um, I think we should go back to the room,” Max whispered, meeting Chloe’s gaze.  There was hesitation in her voice, but not her eyes.  Chloe understood, and hastily rose, sliding her hands under Max’s thighs and lifting her bodily up out of the hot tub.  Hurriedly, the two wrapped themselves in the towels they had brought and grabbed their clothes and belongings before scampering back to their room.

***

                “It felt better tonight,” Max murmured, tenderly nuzzling her cheek against Chloe’s collarbone, “I mean, better than usual.  It’s always, er, good.”  For her part, the taller girl leaned down and planted a light kiss on her beloved’s scalp.

                “It’s because of this morning,” Chloe said, “I mean, I think it is.”  She brought a hand up and slowly stroked the back of Max’s neck, causing the brunette to softly coo in happiness.

                “How do you mean?” Max asked, her words slow and slurred with a mixture of sleepiness, exhaustion, and sex-coma.

                “The things you said, they were so sweet,” Chloe explained, “These last couple days, well, they’ve been kind of an adjustment for me.”  She felt Max raise her eyebrows.

                “For _you_?” Max repeated, her voice amused, “I thought you were an old hand at this.  I’m the one who’s in new territory.”  She gently planted a wet kiss at the base of Chloe’s neck, “Amazing, sexy territory.”

                “Kind of,” Chloe conceded, “But you’re such a sweetie.  You’re used to being sincere with your feelings.  I’m used to doing this sort of thing just for fun, or to unwind.  But with you, each time, it feels so important, so special, so perfect.”  Max nodded against Chloe.

                “You’ve done a lot of banging,” she summarized, “But not a lot of lovemaking.” 

                “Ugh, that word sounds so sappy,” Chloe groaned, “But yeah, that sounds like what’s happening, I guess.  Am I doing a good job?”

                “Hmmmm…” Max hummed, propping herself up on her elbows and facing Chloe, “Yes.  You are doing a good job.  You have emerged from your chrysalis of angstyness a beautiful blue butterfly of affection and love.”  Chloe rolled her eyes but smiled, amused at Max’s slap-happy pillow-talk.  Playfully, she rolled on top of Max, grinning down at her.

                “A butterfly?” She repeated, starting to place a series of kisses along Max’s jawline and neck, “And what does it mean to be a ‘beautiful blue butterfly of affection and love?’”  Max closed her eyes and smiled, running her hands through Chloe’s hair before gently trying to push her lower.

                “It means you like to land on a very pretty flower and give it lots of very special kisses,” Max murmured, smiling at how silly they both sounded at this point.

                “Oh, well, if I must,” Chloe teased from the edge of the covers, before disappearing from view.

                “Oh yes,” Max insisted, her voice just as teasing, “You- Ooh!- must.”


	9. Punk Forest Fairy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe take a walk in the woods, enjoying some banter and kisses.

                Max walked along the dirt trail, gazing up at the trees and listening to the din of the forest.  Everything felt at once static and dynamic, timeless and yet ever-changing, ever-growing.  With all that had happened, she found that she was developing an appreciation for such paradoxes.

                Ahead of her, Chloe had run off and climbed a tree, sitting on a low branch overhanging the trail.  Never mind that signs were posted at the trailhead, at the visitor center, and periodically along the trail begging visitors not to leave the path.  Max looked up at the blue haired girl cheerfully dangling her legs down over the edge of the branch.

                “Look who finally caught up!” Chloe joked, hopping down and landing in a crouch before standing up once more, “Stop to take more pictures?”  That gave Max an idea.

                “Look who finally caught up!” Chloe joked, back up on the branch.

                “Stay there for a second!” Max called, lifting her camera and snapping a picture.  Releasing her camera to hang again from her neck and checking the developing picture, she heard Chloe hop to the ground again.

                “Do I look cool?” Chloe asked, stepping over and looking down at the photo, “Oh, yeah, I look hella cool!  Like some kind of punk fairy or something!”  Max slipped the photo into her bag and took Chloe’s hand, the two of them continuing down the path together.

                It warmed Max’s heart to see Chloe smiling and playing in the forest.  To see her climbing and running and jumping.  In the back of Max’s mind, she could still see the other Chloe, immobile and wasting away in her motorized chair.  The quiet Chloe, the dying Chloe, the fatalistic Chloe.  She loved Chloe, in any time or reality, but that one made her heart break.  This one made her heart sing.

                They climbed a hill, pausing at the little balcony overlook that had been built at the top.  Side by side, they leaned against the railing and looked out over the lake below, and Max put an arm around Chloe’s waist.  In return, Chloe reached her arm around Max’s shoulders, holding her close.  Gently, Max nestled her head into the now familiar crook of Chloe’s neck, feeling the warm skin against her cheek.

                “I love being here with you,” she whispered as they stood back from the railing, turning to face each other.  Eagerly, she clung to the taller girl, nuzzling and caressing as they stood on the wooden overlook.  Chloe held her close, strong arms crossed across her back.

                “I love being pretty much anywhere with you,” Chloe murmured in reply, tilting Max’s face up with one hand and leaning down for a gentle kiss.  A light wind blew past them, making the warmth of their bodies pressed together all the more precious.  When at last they broke and continued along the trail, Max had a renewed spring in her step.

                “God, I can’t even remember the last time I walked through some woods that didn’t have beer cans or a tweaker camping in them,” Chloe remarked, looking around the forest as they walked, “I guess this is why we pay taxes.  You know, if I paid taxes.”  Max was glad Chloe was enjoying herself.  When they’d made their plans, she had been worried Chloe was just agreeing to whatever she said to buy time together.

                “Hey, hollow tree!” Chloe exclaimed, pointing to a massive hollowed out trunk and letting go of Max’s hand to saunter over to it, “Get a picture!”  Catching up, Max raised her camera again and snapped a shot of Chloe, hunched over slightly to fit in the natural archway into the hollow.

                “The continuing adventures of the punk fairy of Deschutes,” Max declared, presenting Chloe with the picture.  The blue haired girl smiled as she examined it.

                “Okay, now I’ll do you!” Chloe said, lifting the camera from around Max’s neck and stepping back, “Do a pose, do a pose!”  Feigning confused amazement, Max stood in the archway as though she was stepping into Narnia or something.

                “How did I do?” Chloe asked, showing Max the picture. 

                “You did just fine,” Max replied, taking the picture and putting it into the pocket of her bag with the others, “Now together!” She took her camera back and cuddle up close to Chloe, holding the camera out in front of them and snapping a selfie.

                “So, do you know what punk fairies do?” Chloe asked, stepping back into the hollow and straightening up, pulling Max in with her.

                “Oh?  What?” Max asked in reply, blushing and smiling at once as they stood in the cramped space.

                “They steal beautiful maidens to live with them in the forest,” Chloe explained, grinning down at her and running her hands through her hair.  Max laughed and snuggled up close to Chloe’s chest.

                “Oh no!  Have I been kidnapped by a punk forest fairy?” Max exclaimed jokingly, “I’m trapped in her magical prison!”  Now it was Chloe’s turn to laugh.

                “Dork,” she snickered, stepping out of the tree for a moment, then coming back in, “I’m a punk knight, here to rescue you from the punk fairy’s evil, sexy clutches!”

                “Oh, thank God!” Max cried, flinging her arms around Chloe’s neck, “I had worried I was going to be trapped here forever, a slave to her amorous whims!”  Chloe led her out of the tree, then hoisted her up into a bridal carry, walking back over to the trail.

                “All in a day’s work,” Chloe assured Max, setting her down back on the path.  They both dusted themselves off, and continued along the trail, hand in hand.

                “How can I ever repay such heroism?” Max wondered aloud, squeezing Chloe’s hand.

                “I dunno,” Chloe replied, grinning at her as they neared the visitor center and parking lot, “I guess you’ll just have to come live with me in my castle and be my lady-love.”  Max giggled and moved closer, putting her arm around Chloe’s waist once more, and settling into her side.

                “Sounds fair enough.”


	10. Downpour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe comforts Max during a rainstorm

                Rain hammered down on the truck as they huddled in the cab.  Eventually, Chloe had felt uncomfortable driving, and pulled them over at a rest stop to wait it out.  With each crack of thunder, Max whimpered and flinched. 

                “Shh, shh, it’s fine,” Chloe said, reaching over to rub Max’s shoulder, “We’re safe.”  Max hadn’t used to react like this to storms.  Hell, Chloe remembered several times the two of them had run around in the downpour in her backyard, laughing and playing.

                “I didn’t do anything,” Max insisted quietly, pulling her knees up to her chest and staring into space, “I haven’t been changing anything, I swear.”  Wait, did Max think that this was a storm that she had caused?  It couldn’t possibly be that, could it?

                “Max, this isn’t your fault,” Chloe assured her, reaching down and squeezing Max’s hand, “This weather system has been developing for days.”  Max glanced up at her hopefully.

                “Really?” Max asked.  Chloe nodded, pulling her close and kissing her on the forehead.

                “Yeah, it’s been on Weather Channel and everything,” Chloe explained, “Come on, these happen around this time every year.”

                “I guess so,” Max conceded, still quiet and subdued.

                “Hey, come here,” Chloe murmured, clicking Max’s seatbelt out and pulling her over onto her lap, their legs perpendicular, “Everything’s fine, okay?”  Max nodded half-heartedly and clung to Chloe, her grip tightening when thunder rumbled.  Carefully, Chloe wrapped her arms around Max and held her close, nuzzling her cheek against the shorter girl’s forehead.

                “Will you sing to me?” Max whispered.  Chloe bit her lip in hesitation for a moment, but then gave a gentle smile.  It took her a moment to think of a song that wasn’t a riot-grrrl thrasher, but she eventually thought of something that would work.  Softly, she began to sing.

                “Strange how you know inside me, I measure the time, and I stand amazed,” she began, “Strange how I know inside you, my hand is outstretched towards the damp of the haze.”  Max made a quiet, appreciative little noise, nuzzling against Chloe.

                “And of course I forgive,” Chloe continued, “I’ve seen how you live, like a phoenix you rise from the ashes.  You pick up the pieces, and the ghosts in the attic, they never quite leave.”  She kissed the top of Max’s head before continuing.

                “And of course I forgive, you’ve seen how I live, I’ve got darkness and fears to appease.  My voices and analogies, ambitions like ribbons worn bright on my sleeve.”  Max looked up at her, teary eyed but smiling.

                “Strange how I fit into you,” Max murmured, continuing from where Chloe had paused, “There’s a distance erased with the greatest of ease.”  They squeezed one another.  “Strange how you fit into me, a gentle warmth filling the deepest of needs.”  Max sat up a little, touching her forehead to Chloe’s as they continued the song together, trading lines informally.

                “-I am sure, like never before, of my reason for defying reason-” Max moved and shifted until she was straddling Chloe, looking down at her for once.

                “-Time unfolds the petals for our eyes to see-” Chloe grinned as she sang that line, amused at how Max blushed.

                “-We just hold on fast, acknowledge the past as lessons exquisitely crafted-” Max gently placed her hands on Chloe’s cheeks, as Chloe slid both hands down her sides and to her hips.

                “-How swiftly we choose it,” Chloe murmured, her breath warm against Max’s face.

                “The sacred simplicity of you at my side,” Max finished, the melody almost entirely lost as she leaned down and pressed her lips to Chloe’s.  Outside the cab, lightning still flashed and thunder still cracked, but neither of them minded.  After a long while, they finally broke the kiss, but remained pressed close together.

                “I love that song,” Max whispered, her cheeks still wet from her earlier tears but her face beaming, “But I’m kind of surprised you do.”  Chloe smiled sheepishly.

                “Not exactly mosh pit music, I’ll admit,” Chloe replied, holding Max close, “But I’ve looked up some indie stuff, on occasion.”  She turned her head and kissed Max where her neck and jaw met.  “Almost like I had a huge crush on someone who likes indie music.”  Max sat back a little, smiling at Chloe and resting their heads together again.

                “Chloe Price, you are downright thoughtful,” she teased.

                “Of course I am,” Chloe replied, “I’m a beautiful blue butterfly of affection and love, remember?” Max laughed a little, and then it was Chloe’s turn to initiate a kiss, the rain continuing to pour as they fell silent.


	11. Chloesexual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe discuss labels and try to define their relationship

                “Okay, my parents know we’re on our way,” Max announced, hanging up her phone and putting it back into her pocket as Chloe left the bathroom, drying her hair from the shower, “They’ve transferred some money into my account to cover expenses on our way up, and they’ve said you’re welcome to stay for a while.”

                “Thanks,” Chloe replied, “I haven’t seen them in years, so it’s really nice of them to let me stay, sight unseen.”

                “Well, they said they were excited to see you,” Max assured her, smiling, “I told them to go ahead and put the air mattress in my room.”  Chloe raised her eyebrows.

                “What do we need an air mattress for?” She asked, “Did you never upgrade from your kid bed or something?”  Max sighed.

                “I haven’t told them yet,” the brunette explained cautiously, “About us being- being whatever it is we are now.”  Chloe studied her, staying silent.  “I just don’t think that over the phone is the way to tell them.”

                “Makes sense,” Chloe conceded, sitting on the edge of the bed opposite Max and pulling one knee up to her chest.   Frowning, Max crawled across the bed and gently wrapped her arms around Chloe’s waist.  Chloe tried to halfheartedly shrug her off, but didn’t really commit to the effort, and Max remained.  They sat quietly, Max holding onto Chloe while Chloe tried to remain stoic.

                “Chloe Price, you are not my secret,” Max murmured, resting her chin on the taller girl’s shoulder.  She wished Chloe would just trust her, but Chloe’s fear of abandonment was deeply ingrained.  Some of it was from stuff Max knew about, like William dying and Max moving away.  But she suspected some of it had to do with Rachel, too.

                Chloe had blown up when she’d learned Rachel and Frank were a couple, and Max could guess why.  To be cheated on would be bad, she thought, but Chloe had never said she and Rachel had been an item.  Best case scenario, Rachel just didn’t return Chloe’s obvious affections.  The worst case scenario, though, was that Rachel had been willing to get involved with Chloe only in secret, hiding her like some embarrassing guilty pleasure.  Being treated like a side item to something “real” would have been terrible.

                At length, Chloe gently leaned her head against Max’s.  A minute or so later, she gently broke from Max’s grasp and turned towards her.  Reaching out to take her hand, Chloe looked Max in the eye and spoke.

                “I trust you, Max,” she said, squeezing her hand, “I know in my head that you’re not planning to hurt me or anything.  But in my gut, I still feel like I’ve been here before, and I don’t like it.”  Max frowned, thinking again about what Rachel and Chloe’s connection may or may not have been.

                “What about this worries you?” Max asked, meeting Chloe’s gaze.

                “I don’t know what exactly you’re not telling your parents,” Chloe explained, “That you’re in love with me?  That you’re in love with a girl?  That you could even _be_ in love with a girl?  Just, how big a deal is this gonna be?  I get you’re not going to hop out of the truck and be all ‘Hey, Mom, I’m gay!’ as soon as we pull up or anything, but how long will we be pretending not to be a thing in front of your parents?”  It was a lot of questions, and Max wasn’t completely sure what her answers were.

                “I don’t think my parents will be upset we’re a couple,” Max said, “I mean, they might not be as willing to let us share a room, but I don’t think they’d be upset that we’re dating.”  A smile flashed across Chloe’s face at the word “dating.”

                “I’ve always crushed on girls, but always kind of crushed on boys too,” Max went on, “I never talked about stuff like that with my parents, and I’ve never really acted on romantic feelings before you.  So I don’t think I can say I’m a lesbian, or bi, or anything for sure right now.  Just that I’m Chloesexual.”  The smile stayed on Chloe’s face this time, and she snickered.

                “How about we tell them together the morning after we get there?” Chloe suggested, “That way, no matter what, we get to enjoy our first night in Seattle in bed together.”  Max breathed a sigh of relief, glad to see Chloe satisfied.  She lay down on the bed, and Chloe quickly nestled beside her, resting her head on Max’s chest for a change.

                “So, what should we tell my parents we are?” Max asked, stroking Chloe’s hair, “Girlfriends?”

                “Sounds a little too ambiguous,” Chloe replied, a smile in her voice, “How about ‘Sapphic consorts?’”  Max giggled.

                “Lovers?” She countered.

                “That’s not bad,” Chloe remarked, “A little dramatic, though.  ‘Orgasm friends?’”  They went on, laughing at themselves and one another.

                “’Main squeezes?’”

                “’Best gals?’”

                “’Special ladies?’”

                “’Love units?’”

                “’Cuddle-buddies?’”

                “Let’s just keep it simple,” Chloe finally suggested as they both settled down, “How about we go with ‘dating.’  If anyone asks what we are to each other, I’ll just say you’re ‘my Max.’”  That sounded good, Max thought, her heart fluttering.

                “Works for me,” she whispered, leaning down and kissing the patch of blonde that was developing on Chloe’s scalp, “I like it.  ‘My Chloe.’”


	12. Night on the Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and Max attend a rock show in Portland, and both get to experience some new culture.

Chloe and Max sat together in the back of a little dive in Portland, listening to a local punk band. When wandering around town earlier that day, a "public relations coordinator," probably just a friend of the band's, had given them both a flyer for the "5 for $5" show. Judging it to be probably the best value entertainment they were likely to find, the two had decided to go.

Chloe was having a blast, but Max was clearly a little out of her depth. When asked for an opinion on the music she’d been able to make a few observations that showed it was more than just "noise" to her, but Chloe could tell she didn’t have an especially strong grasp of the genre.  She was trying, though, and that was all that mattered.  They'd moshed a bit, until Max had gotten knocked down pretty hard. Chloe had immediately broken from the crowd to scoop her up and lead her into a safe corner.

"Are you alright?" Chloe asked, trying to both be heard over the noise and maintain a gentle tone. The smaller girl nodded.

"Yeah, just a little bruised," Max replied, smiling sheepishly and rubbing her shoulder. Pulling her jacket down and rolling up her sleeve, Chloe inspected the spot Max had rubbed, and leaned down to give it a kiss.

"There, all better," Chloe announced, grinning. Max smiled at the blue haired girl and draped her arms around her neck, pulling their faces close. With the din of the music filling the space, Chloe felt almost like her blood was pumping in time with the rhythm. Reaching down, she grasped Max's thighs and pulled her up onto her lap, resting their foreheads against each other.

Her eyes darkening and a smile crossing her lips, Max leaned in for a kiss, which Chloe readily accepted. Releasing the denim-clad thighs, Chloe reached up to stroke Max's neck and the back of her head, loving how easily and naturally her fingers slipped through the soft brown hair. The band finished the song they were playing, but the hum of chatter and laughter continued.

"Alright, this last one goes out to the baby dykes making out in the back!" the singer on stage declared into the microphone, "Don't forget to come up for air, you two!" Max broke the kiss and blushed deeply at her words, but Chloe just laughed and leaned to the side to make eye contact with the band.

"Bite me!" She called back cheerfully, flashing a friendly middle finger at the band. Max buried her face in Chloe's shoulder, tremors of quiet giggling vibrating between them.

"I think she's already on it!" the singer called back as the band began to play. The room filled again with music, and Max sat up, smiling down at Chloe. When Max looked at her like that, the rest of the world always seemed to blur away. It was dorky and romantic, but Chloe only had eyes for Max at moments like this.

Their lips met again, and pushed against each other to the sound of the music. Arcadia Bay and the surrounding little towns had had a certain local punk rock scene, but it felt different to be in a decently sized city. The bands were better, the atmosphere was more genuine, and she and Max weren't even the only pair of women fooling around there! Arcadia Bay would always be her hometown, she acknowledged grudgingly, but she could get used to this.

Once the last band had finished their set and announced they'd be selling merch by the door, Max shifted off of Chloe and they both stood. Taking the other girl's hand, Chloe led her out onto the street, trying not to focus on the smell of cigarettes from all the smokers outside. Max hadn't said anything, but Chloe could tell just by the frequency of kisses that she didn't like when Chloe smoked. It was a hard habit to kick, though.

"So, night's still young," Chloe remarked, "Wanna do anything else before we crash for the night?" They walked leisurely down the street in the vague direction of the truck.

"I'd love something to eat that's not fast food or diner food," Max conceded, clinging lovingly to Chloe's arm as they walked.

"Fair enough," Chloe replied, enjoying the feeling of Max's warmth cuddled up beside her, "Keep your eyes open for someplace to eat." Eventually, the pair settled on a Middle Eastern place close to where they'd parked. She didn't admit it, but it was the first time Chloe had had Middle Eastern, or really any ethnic food for that matter; Arcadia Bay wasn't exactly a cosmopolitan oasis of culture.

Portland, though, was something else. There were hipsters all over the place, at least in the trendy neighborhood they were wandering in, and rocker girls aplenty. There were girly dudes and manly chicks, and all other variations of gender and sex. Nobody stared at them as they walked together. For the first time in a long time, Chloe, the queer, punk-rock rebel of Arcadia Bay, didn't feel out of place.


	13. Photographic Evidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max puts her photographic talents to use capturing Chloe on film.

                Max’s eyes fluttered open as she woke, nestled as always in the safe confines of Chloe’s arms.  The rise and fall of the taller girl’s chest was soothing, and she spent a while in a half-conscious limbo, slipping in and out of sleep as Chloe’s steady heartbeat moored her loosely to reality.  This was just her life now, and it was perfect.  Whatever else came their way, it couldn’t be too bad provided she kept waking up like this.

                Things might change once they got to Seattle in a few days, though.  It wasn’t as if she thought her parents were going to try and break them up or anything.  She’d never told them in as many words that she liked girls, but she suspected they’d picked up on it a bit.  There was nothing explicit she could point to, just a sort of vibe or whatever.  Still, Max was pretty confident Mom and Dad weren’t going to have a problem with her and Chloe being a couple, at least in the abstract.

There was general acceptance and support, though, and then there was actually letting Max and Chloe share a room.  It had never come up before now, but Max had just kind of been working under the assumption that teenage couples didn’t get to share bedrooms if parents had anything to say about it.  On the other hand, there was no way she was getting pregnant, and Chloe didn’t have any STDs.  She assumed not, anyway.  They hadn’t done any testing, but everything _seemed_ healthy.  But parents not wanting their children to be having sex felt more like a squick thing than a practical thing.  Whatever.  They’d have all day, every day to themselves, and besides, they were the Blackwell ninjas.

                They could worry about all that later, Max concluded.  She scooted up to bring her face close to Chloe’s, and smiled to herself as she watched her love sleep.  Chloe looked so peaceful, and Max softly brushed a bit of hair out of her face.  The color was fading from the blue hair closer to her scalp, and then new hair that had been growing was, of course, her natural blonde.  The notion of the adult Chloe as a blonde again was surreal to Max, and made her think too much about the dying Chloe from the other timeline.  In time, the blonde would probably supplant the blue, but she was in no rush for that to happen.

                Being careful so as not to actually waken Chloe, Max reached for her camera and sat up a little, trying to get a good shot.  Satisfied with the lighting and composition, she snapped the photograph and placed it and the camera on the nightstand.  Jarred awake by the flash and sound of the camera, Chloe opened her eyes and glanced around, her eyes softening as they settled on Max.

                “Look at Max, taking pictures of naked girls,” Chloe teased, clasping her hands behind her head.

                “Just your face,” Max replied, blushing a little but smiling, “I don’t know if I’d ever take a nude.”  She reached over and grabbed the developed photo, showing it to Chloe as if to prove it was innocent.  Taking the photo and studying it, Chloe raised her eyebrows.

                “It’s weird to see myself so calm,” she admitted, putting the picture back on the nightstand.

                “People are usually pretty calm when they sleep,” Max pointed out, settling back down against Chloe’s chest, “But yeah, you looked pretty serene.”  Chloe scoffed.

                “Not really a word you’d usually use to describe me,” she remarked, idly stroking Max’s hair.

                “True,” Max conceded, lifting her head to look at Chloe, “You’re usually more dynamic.”

                “Heh, that’s a word for it,” Chloe scoffed, “But a nice choice.”  She smiled, and Max shifted up to steal a playful little kiss.  A playful kiss turned into a tender kiss, a tender kiss turned into a passionate kiss, and a passionate kiss turned into a very nice way to start the morning.

                “I love you!” Chloe declared breathlessly as she settled back down on the bed, closing her eyes and practically glowing.  Before she’d let herself collapse next to her Chloe, Max reached out for the camera again and snapped a photo of the blue haired girl’s face, setting it beside the first to develop.  Her work finished, Max lightly fell on Chloe and quickly found her favorite comfy snuggle position.

                “Did you just take a sex-coma picture of me?” Chloe demanded, a smile in her voice.

                “Maybe,” Max mumbled, listening to the rapid beat of her beloved’s heart, “If I did, would you want to see it?”

                “Sure,” Chloe replied, although they stayed there, immobile and catching their breath for another few minutes.  When she felt up to moving again, Max rolled over and retrieved the picture, admiring it and holding it out for Chloe.

                “Damn, Caulfield,” Chloe remarked, grinning and blushing a little upon seeing the photo, “You really make me look good.”

                “You make you look good,” Max told her, nuzzling back into her shoulder, “I just document it.”


	14. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and Max arrive in Seattle, and Chloe gets a glimpse of how Max has been living for the past few years.

                Chloe glanced to the side as Max shifted around in her seat, fidgeting.  She’d been like that all morning, and it had only been getting more pronounced the closer to Seattle they got.  Granted, it wasn’t as if Seattle had had a tornado pass through it, but Chloe could still kind of see why she might be nervous.  A lot had changed for Max since she’d started at Blackwell, and most of the big stuff wasn’t anything she could share with her parents.  “Hey, Mom and Dad!  I can travel through time, my favorite teacher turned out to be a murderous rapist, and also here’s the girl I’m banging!”  Not exactly casual conversation.

                “Alright, we should be getting off the 5 soon,” Chloe stated, checking the exit markers and road signs, “Where to after that?”  Max checked the directions on her phone, and gave a series of instructions.  They pulled off the highway and onto a city street, turning from there onto a residential street after several minutes.  As the addresses started to get closer and closer to Max’s, Chloe slowed down, scanning for her house.  At last they arrived, and Chloe pulled into the driveway.

                It was a big, nice looking house.  The Caulfield’s had apparently moved up in the world from their house back in Arcadia Bay.  That was the point of leaving Arcadia Bay in the first place, Chloe supposed:  Better job in Seattle, more money, bigger house, all that shit.

                Chloe walked around to the other side of the truck to help Max with the bags.  Max had already pulled out her own duffel bag and was scanning the windows of the house.  Chloe reached into the back of the cab and grabbed her bags, dropping them on the pavement.

                “Whatcha looking for, Max?” She asked.  This _was_ the right house, right?  Max hadn’t messed with some shit back in time that led to her actually living in Canada or some shit, had she?

                Without warning, Max pulled Chloe in for a long, heated kiss.  She even got a little handsy.  Not out of the question for Max, but a little surprising, especially in public.  After a minute, Chloe was released and staggered back, grinning at her blushing but cheerful Max.

                “I just, uh, wanted one last big kiss before we have to tone it down for a few hours,” Max explained sheepishly, lifting her bag and starting towards the front door.  Closing the door of the truck, Chloe whistled cheerily and followed after her, lugging both of her own duffel bags.  Max knocked on the door as she came up a little behind.

                “Oh, Max!” Vanessa exclaimed as she opened the door, stepping forward to welcome her daughter with a hug, “I’m so glad to see you home safe!”

                “Thanks, Mom,” Max replied, returning the hug and smiling as they parted, “Yeah, we’re both fine.”  Mrs. Caulfield turned to face Chloe, who was still standing a little ways behind Max. 

                “And Chloe!” Vanessa added, pulling her into a similar hug, “It’s so wonderful to see you again!” She released Chloe, but continued beaming, looking her up and down.  “You’ve changed and grown so much!”

                “Yeah, five years’ll do that,” Chloe remarked, an involuntary edge entering her voice.  She hastily tried to go back to friendly.  “It’s great to see you again, too.  Thanks for letting me stay with you all and Max for a while.  My, uh, my room kind of got caved in during the storm.”  Max’s mother herded both girls into the house, directing them to set their bags at the base of the stairs and then leading them to the kitchen where she’d prepared a small smorgasbord.  Ryan joined them shortly after, repeating the hugs and greetings of before.

                The afternoon was spent doing a lot of catching up, some between Max and her parents, but also a lot of Vanessa and Ryan asking Chloe about her life.  It got a little tense for Chloe here and there, of course.  Her life since her Dad died hadn’t been quite as idyllic as Max’s seemed to have been.  She made it through without much profanity, or too many lurid details of her punk rebel life.  It would have seemed almost like a miracle, if it weren’t for the frequency with which Max would kick her and give her meaningful looks, wiping her nose and getting paler as time wore on.

                “Well, it’s getting late,” Ryan remarked after some time, glancing out the bay window at the setting sun, “We were thinking of going out for a celebratory dinner, to welcome you two to Seattle.  How about you bring your things up to Max’s room, and change into something nice, and we can go out.”

                “Okay, that sounds great!” Max replied, smiling and getting to her feet, “We might want to shower first, but in half an hour?”  Vanessa and Ryan agreed, and Chloe got up, following Max down the hallway.  When they were out of sight of her parents, Max staggered and Chloe reached out to steady her.  When it was apparent that Max could stand and walk, Chloe released her but lifted both sets of bags, following Max up the stairs and to her room.

                “I’ll try to be more careful about what I’m saying,” Chloe promised sheepishly, keeping a close eye on Max as they reached the landing, “I guess you had to keep rewinding because I said something stupid.”  Max glanced over her shoulder as she opened the door to her bedroom and walked in.

                “It wasn’t too bad,” she replied, sitting on the edge of her bed and letting her shoulders slouch, “Just try not to say ‘fuck’ so much.”

                “Fair enough,” Chloe conceded, setting their bags down and looking around the room.  Max’s bed was in the far corner of the room, covered in a dark grey bedspread and nestled under a dormer window.  A spacious closet was opened across from the door, and a dark stained dresser stood along the wall between the two.  Another door stood ajar on the other side of the room from the dresser, exposing the tiled floor of what Chloe assumed to be the bathroom.  A bookshelf stood near the bed, and there was a desk up against the wall across the room.  Posters and photographs covered the walls.  An air mattress had been inflated and laid out on the hardwood floor, with blankets and a pillow set on top of it. 

                “Do you want to shower first, or should I?” Chloe asked.  Max stood and gave Chloe a sly look.

                “I’m not sure how steady I am,” Max stated, nevertheless confidently closing the door behind them, “I think I might need you in there with me, just in case I fall.”  Chloe grinned.

                “Anything for my Max,” she replied, immediately starting to pull off her clothes.

***

                The Caulfields had decided on a nouveau American farm-to-table place for dinner.  At first, Chloe had been a little skeptical, but she’d known to keep her mouth shut.  As it turned out, though, an eighteen dollar burger of grass-fed beef and a side of fresh cut, sea salt sprinkled fries _was_ a lot better than the greasy crap they served at the hotdog stand down by the boardwalk in Arcadia Bay.  Who knew?

                They sat around the table, first Ryan, then Max, then Vanessa, then Chloe.  They hadn’t exactly _conspired_ on it, but Chloe was glad she and Max had thought to sit across from one another.  If they were staying on the down low for the night, it was just as well to not be constantly wanting to reach down and hold Max’s hand under the table.  Plus, it meant Chloe got to look at her.

                Max looked stunning in the dim light of the restaurant.  She had put on a bright red sundress for the evening, and had draped her white cardigan over the back of her chair.  Chloe had luckily thought to pack something at least sort of nice when she’d been grabbing clothes from her room, and had dressed herself in a dark blue collared shirt with a plain black tie, matched with dark, untorn jeans.  She desperately hoped that she looked even half as good as Max did.  She wasn’t sure _how_ , exactly, but she resolved to eventually make enough money to take Max out to nice places like this, wearing nice clothes and eating nice food.

                The car ride back to Max’s house was pleasant but quiet, with Ryan and Vanessa making small talk with the two of them.  In the darkness of the backseat, Max apparently felt safe enough to reach out and take Chloe’s hand, and their fingers remained intertwined for most of the journey to the Caulfields’ idyllic neighborhood. 

                “So, did everything look okay in there?” Ryan asked Chloe as he and Vanessa started upstairs, “We figured there’d be enough space, but if you want the guest room, you’re welcome to it.  It’s got a real bed and everything.”

                “It’s fine, Mr. Caulfield,” Chloe assured him, leaning against the wall in the foyer, “It’ll be like some kind of never ending slumber party.” 

                “Dad, Chloe and I are going to stay up for a bit and watch a movie,” Max stated, “But we’ll see you tomorrow.”  She smiled, and Ryan laughed.

                “No need to tell me twice,” he remarked, turning and climbing the stairs, “This boring old person will leave you kids alone, now.”  Chloe and Max both listened for the sound of Ryan and Vanessa’s door closing.  Upon the telltale click, they turned to one another and grinned, padding into the den.

                “They usually read in bed for a little while before falling asleep,” Max explained, her voice a little hushed, “I figure we should try and kill an hour before we go to bed.  If you want to, um, _do_ anything there, that is.”

                “Damn right I wanna sex you up,” Chloe replied, keeping her voice similarly quiet, “What should we do in the meantime?”

                “We could always do what I _said_ we’d do, and watch a movie,” Max suggested, “But we can do something else, if you want.”

                “Can we go into the backyard?” Chloe asked, glancing out the window.  Considering for a moment, Max nodded, leading Chloe through the kitchen and out the sliding door onto the patio.

                Taking Max’s hand, Chloe led her out onto the grass.  Standing in the middle of the yard, she slipped her other arm around Max’s waist, holding her close.  Taking Chloe’s lead, Max placed her arm around the taller girl’s shoulders, holding on tight.  To no discernable rhythm, they began to slow dance.  Sometimes they swayed gently, sometimes Chloe would gently twirl Max, and sometimes they just held one another.

                “I’ve never really done this before,” Max murmured, resting her head on Chloe’s shoulder.

                “Bullshit, you danced with Steven Halloway at the Valentine’s Dance back in seventh grade,” Chloe teased, nuzzling against Max’s forehead.

                “Fair point,” the brunette replied, “But I mean, danced close to someone I love, danced so it actually meant something.”  Chloe smiled at those words, pressing a kiss against Max’s skin.

                “Your house is really nice,” Chloe remarked, “I can see why you’d leave Arcadia Bay for this.  Not that I don’t think leaving Arcadia Bay is enough reason to leave Arcadia Bay all on its own.”  Max looked up at her, hurt in her eyes.

                “Chloe, I never _wanted_ to leave you,” she whispered, gently pulling away, “My dad got a new job in Seattle, and so we moved.  Yes, I think that Seattle is a better city than Arcadia Bay.  But-” She cupped Chloe’s cheek, “If someone had given me the choice then, to stay in Arcadia with you or move here without you, I’d have chosen to stay with my best friend.  And if I had to choose now, between you and Seattle, I’d choose to stay with my Chloe.”  Tears began to cloud Chloe’s eyes as Max spoke, and when she murmured those last few words, Chloe seized her in a tight embrace.

                “Max Caulfield, I love you,” Chloe breathed, holding her Max to her chest.  Together, they lay down in the grass, looking up at the moon and cuddling for warmth on the mid-autumn night. 

                “Do you think that, if I’d stayed, we would still have fallen in love?” Max wondered aloud.  Chloe thought about it.  Just as much as she couldn’t imagine the rest of her life without Max, she couldn’t imagine what the past five years would have been like _with_ her.  She shrugged.

                “I can’t know what might have happened,” she replied, “You’re the time chick.  All I know is that, in this timeline, after the nineteen years I’ve lived only once, I am in love with you, and that’s enough for me.”  Max was silent for a time, but clung to her and nuzzled affectionately.  After a little while, the brunette sat up and looked down at her, a look at once solemn and ecstatic on her face.

                “I think my parents are asleep,” Max whispered, “Ready to come up to my room?”


	15. Moment of Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe enjoy their first night in Seattle together, and then make an announcement in the morning, garnering an unexpected response.

                Max’s heart raced as she led Chloe up the stairs.  It wasn’t like this was their first time sleeping together, of course.  But it _was_ their first time in a real house.  _Her_ house.  She supposed it was silly, but making love in her actual bed made it all seem more real.  Not that the last week hadn’t been real enough on its own.  It could also have been the knowledge that her parents were sleeping not fifty feet away.  The whole thing felt at once very adult but also very high school.

                Padding into her room, Max shut the door behind them, fastening the bolt just in case.  Her parents didn’t make a habit of barging into her room unannounced or anything, but she didn’t want to take any chances.  Turning and leaning her back against the door, she looked at Chloe, barely visible against the darkness aside from her pale face and hands.

                Moving with what she hoped looked like grace, Max walked to her bed and sat down, still keeping her eyes on Chloe.  The taller girl turned to return her gaze and approached, slowly undoing her tie and shirt.  Time seemed to crawl as she moved closer, shrugging out of her shirt as she reached Max.

                “You look gorgeous,” Chloe murmured to her, “I’ve never seen you in a dress before.”  She looked Max up and down, sitting beside her and running a hand along her side.  “At least, not since you grew tits.”  Max snorted and pulled Chloe in for a kiss, pulling her shirt off the rest of the way.

                “And you look amazing,” Max whispered in return.  Their lips locked again, and the night proceeded.  Clothes came off, strewn across the floor as their owners moaned and murmured.  Their hands and lips explored one another, the excitement of new discoveries beginning to give way to the wonder of intimate familiarity.  

                When they finally lay there panting, nestled beside each other beneath the covers, Max sighed deeply.  To Chloe, this space probably could have just been another hotel for all it mattered.  But to her, it was the room she’d gone through most of adolescence in.  Max had just started puberty when they’d moved here.  This was the room where she’d had her first sex dream.  This was the room where she’d first touched herself.  To make love to Chloe here too felt at once right and surreal, but she was happy to have had the chance.  In the morning, she and Chloe would tell Mom and Dad that they were dating, and then they might be put in different rooms.  That wouldn’t stop them from having sex, of course, but just for this one night it was nice to share her bed, her real bed, with the girl she loved.

***

                Max and Chloe sat at the kitchen table, eating breakfast.  It wasn’t as good as Joyce’s, Max had to admit.  Her family weren’t big breakfast people, mostly stocking Whole Foods cereal and toaster waffles.  Chloe didn’t complain, though, which she appreciated.

                Mom and Dad had been up for a little while by the time Max and Chloe had finally gotten out of bed.  She’d stalled a little, and Chloe hadn’t been in a hurry to get up, either, so they’d spent a good hour just cuddling and kissing.  But eventually, they both agreed it was time to get up and get dressed.  Which left them in the kitchen, eating a late breakfast, while Mom and Dad did yardwork before going on Sunday errands.  She’d have to tell them when they came back into the house.

                “So, what are you two planning to do with your Sunday?” her dad asked, washing the grass-stains from his hands.  Max heard the front door open and close, meaning her mom was in from watering her plants.  This was probably the best time to tell them…

                “Probably just settle in some,” Max remarked, glancing over to the hallway, “Maybe I’ll show Chloe around downtown.”  Mom came in, opening the fridge and taking out a can of diet pop.  Max took a deep breath.  It was time.

                “And we, uh, have something we need to, um, tell you,” she went on.  Both Mom and Dad turned their attention to her, listening.  “Me and Chloe are dating.”  Dad shut off the water, and Mom set down her can of pop.

                “I see,” Dad said, looking back and forth between the two of them, “That makes sense.”  Not exactly a resounding show of support, but not bad.

                “What your father is _trying_ to say is that you two have always been so close,” Mom explained, “So this is certainly a surprise, but not a shock.”  That was a little better.

                “Exactly,” Dad agreed, nodding, “And we love you, and accept you, and we welcome Chloe.”  They were both taking this pretty well, Max thought.  Almost like it was rehearsed.

                “Wait, did you already know?” Max asked, glancing at them hesitantly.  They both looked elsewhere, Mom getting very interested in her drink and Dad boring a hole into the countertop with his eyes.  “You knew!”

                “I could, er, see you two snuggling in the car in the mirror,” Dad said.

                “And you’re not as quiet as I think you thought you were last night,” Mom added.  Max turned beet red, and Chloe coughed.

                “Just, um, please keep it down?” Dad requested, “You’re both legal adults, and a surprise baby isn’t in the cards.  Your mother and I just don’t want to hear any of… _that_.”

                “And with that, errands!” Mom declared, spinning on her heel and leaving the room.  Dad stammered a hasty goodbye and followed.  A minute or so later, Max heard the car pull out of the garage.

                “Well, that could have gone worse,” Chloe remarked a moment later, “God, your parents are free range.”  Max leaned over and nuzzled her, turning to put a kiss on her shoulder.

                “Cat’s out of the bag, I guess,” Max sighed, “But they didn’t try to split us up, so that’s good.”

                “Sounds like we’ll be just fine if _someone_ can keep herself quiet,” Chloe replied teasingly, playfully jabbing Max in the side, “My fault, though.  I guess I’m just that good.”  Max blushed but smiled, sitting up and turning to face her Chloe.

                “Maybe we should just get the noise out of our systems before they get back,” she suggested, grinning.

                “Sounds like a plan!” Chloe replied, hopping to her feet and making a beeline for the stairs.  Laughing and blushing, Max followed.


	16. Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and Max go to Seattle's Central Library for books, and flirt some in the stacks.

                Max groaned and collapsed onto her desk, face buried in her folded arms.  Chloe, who had been lying on Max’s bed reading, glanced over from her book. 

                “What’s up?” She asked, marking her page and setting the book down.  Max groaned again, then got up and came over to the bed, flopping down beside her and groaning a third time.  Not sure what else to do, lightly patted Max on the head.

                “Blackwell just sent me an email with a bunch of PDFs,” Max explained, her voice muffled by the bedspread she was speaking into, “It was a whole bunch of projects to work on while classes are out of session.”  Chloe frowned.

                “I mean, it probably beats having to spend an extra semester there,” she noted, “Really, what else were you planning on doing for two months?”

                “I don’t know,” Max mumbled, “Stay in bed and cuddle you all day?”  Chloe smiled at the thought.

                “Tempting as that sounds, I don’t want to drag you into dropout-dom with me,” Chloe replied.  Max reluctantly pulled herself up and slunk back to her desk, opening the file and skimming it.

                “Well, I’ll need to get some books from the library,” she remarked, “Any interest in going out today?” 

                “Sure,” Chloe answered, sitting up, “Let’s see your fancy city library.”

***

                “God, your city library is fancy,” Chloe muttered, gazing up at the massive glass building, “You’re sure this is the place?”

                “Yes, Chloe, this is the library,” Max assured her, “Well, the Central Library.  The local branch wasn’t going to have everything I’ll need.” She glanced down at her book list, on which she had marked the call-numbers of all the items.  As Max walked up to the main entrance, Chloe sauntered along after her, still amazed at the scale and splendor of the building.  It was strange looking, but definitely more interesting to look at than the cinderblock cube back in Arcadia Bay.

                Inside, she followed Max around the stacks.  They slowly zigzagged up and down the aisles, Max pulling down this novel and that monograph, carrying them as a stack until Chloe took them off her hands so she could carry even more.  Turning down one row, Max set down her stack of books and stood on her tiptoes, reaching up to a high shelf to try and retrieve a book.  Setting down her own stack, Chloe reached up and snatched it.

                “Thanks,” Max sighed, resting back down on her heels.  She turned and looked confused as Chloe still held the book aloft, grinning.

                “You want this book?” Chloe asked, teasing and slowly backing up down the aisle.  Max rolled her eyes but began to smile, glancing around as she began to pursue Chloe.

                “Yes, I want it,” she hissed, closing with Chloe and reaching up for the book.  Chloe managed to keep it from her, though.

                “Well, you’re going to have to make a _very_ good case for why I should give it to you, then,” Chloe replied, backing up against a pillar but still holding the book high.  Their eyes met, and Max approached her, moving with slow and steady grace now.

                “Can I _please_ have that book?” Max asked in a mock seductive tone.  Grabbing for it again, Max pressed herself against Chloe and dragged her fingers down the taller girl’s arm when she couldn’t quite reach.  From there, she traced her fingers lightly down Chloe’s sides, still pressed close and looking up with puppy dog eyes.  “ _Please_?  I _need_ that book…”  Chloe leaned down and forward slightly.

                “Then kiss me, you nerd,” she whispered, grinning.  Hesitating only slightly, Max pressed a kiss to Chloe’s lips, who in turn wrapped her arms around the brunette’s waist.  When they finally broke, Max stepped back, face flushed but beaming.

                “ _Now_ can I have the book?” she asked, holding out her hand.

                “Sure,” Chloe replied, handing over the volume, “But you’re going to have to hella earn the rest of the stack I’ve been lugging around.”


	17. Catching Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max frets about a thunderstorm, and finds comfort in Chloe.

                Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Max flinched.  It wasn’t as bad as the day that she and Chloe had gotten caught in a storm on the road, but thunder and storm clouds of any kind were still upsetting for her.

                Part of it was the memory of the Arcadia Bay storm itself, just a few weeks earlier.  The howling winds and torrential rain, with trees coming down and the town below starting to fall apart, none of that was going to be fading from her memory any time soon.  But the bigger issue, the thing that really made her tremble at the sound of a storm, was the thought of losing Chloe.

                Just like the dying Chloe begging for death, the Chloe on the hill by the lighthouse in the storm haunted Max’s dreams.  The brave Chloe who had urged Max to sacrifice her, to give her up for the sake of Arcadia Bay, the town she hated.  The Chloe who, at least in that moment, believed that hundreds were going to die because she was still alive.

                That Chloe, at least, was alive and safe, snoring quietly beside Max.  Max shuddered to think about what would have happened if she’d gone back and let Nathan kill Chloe.  Would the storm still happen?  It had never made sense to her how the survival of one girl, one scared, distraught girl, could somehow generate a hurricane.  Even just the thought that Chloe would be dead for nothing made her want to cry.

                What else would have been different?  Would she have been able to save Kate?  Would Nathan have lived, carted off to some boutique “treatment center” to kick back for a bit before going out and raping more people?  She shook her head and turned from the window, looking down at the sleeping form beside her.

                As rain started to patter against the window, Max settled down next to Chloe, trying to pull the taller girl over to rest against her chest.  Groggily, Chloe cooperated, settling her head on Max’s shoulder and nuzzling in.  Safe and warm and just where Max wanted her.

                “You’re real, right?” Max asked quietly, kissing the top of Chloe’s head and breathing in her scent.

                “Last time I checked, yeah,” Chloe mumbled.  Shifting a little more, she lifted her head and glanced out the window.  “Max, I’m not going anywhere.”  All the same, Max held her a little tighter.

                “Sorry,” Max whispered.  Chloe shook her head and settled back down against her chest.

                “We’ve been through a lot,” Chloe conceded, “Mostly you, honestly.  I’m not expecting you to get totally chill overnight or anything.”  Max smiled a little, glad Chloe was at least paying lip service to being at ease with her insecurity.

                “I love you,” Max murmured, nuzzling her face into Chloe’s hair again, “I want to spend forever with you.”

                “I guess that’s a luxury you have,” Chloe remarked, propping herself up and smiling at Max, “For all I know, this is like the millionth time we’ve had this conversation.” Max smiled and shook her head.

                “No, only this once,” she replied, leaning up to kiss Chloe gently.  Then leaning up to kiss Chloe gently.  Then leaning up to kiss Chloe gently yet again.  “Okay, maybe I’ve done that a couple times now.”  Grinning, Chloe leaned forward and stole another kiss.

                “Well, that’s just not fair,” the taller girl remarked, her lips still close to Max’s, “There’s just no possible way I can catch up!”

                “Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try,” Max whispered in return, smiling playfully.  Chloe laughed.

                “For glory!” Chloe hissed, leaning in for another kiss, dwelling there for a moment before pulling back just enough to count the kiss as ended before leaning in for yet another.  Max giggled but gladly went along with it, trying each time to hold Chloe close for a longer, deeper kiss.

                “I should also mention,” Max murmured, a blush on her cheeks and a sly smile on her lips, “That I rewound one time we made love…  So maybe you should try and catch up with me on that, too?”

                “Oh, hell yes,” Chloe replied, snickering and sliding a hand along Max’s body, “No way I’m taking that lying down!”

                “Well, sometimes,” Max pointed out, giggling, and then gasping as Chloe’s hand found its destination.


	18. Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and Max enjoy a cozy morning snuggled up by a fire.

                Chloe stretched as she woke, working out a bit of tension.  She wasn’t out of practice or anything, but Max had been especially enthusiastic the night before, and the repeated tensing of her whole body left her a little sore.  Not that she minded, of course.

                Sitting up leisurely, she looked out the window.  It was still pretty cloudy, and a light rain was falling, but the storm from last night had passed.  Without incident, she noted.  When things got scary, she tried to be strong and sure for Max, but she hadn’t exactly made it out of the Arcadia Bay hell week without a couple emotional scars of her own.  On the hill by the lighthouse, she had tried to be brave and heroic, volunteering herself to die for the town.  But Max had chosen her over the whole town, and that had meant the world to her.  Each time clouds gathered on the horizon, though, Chloe wondered if maybe this would be the time Max blinked her out of existence.

                Max wouldn’t do that, would she?  Chloe looked down at the sleeping brunette beside her.  It wasn’t that she doubted that Max loved her.  It was just that, well, Max was such a good person.  At a certain point, if faced with the choice repeatedly, could she really leave more and more people to die just for Chloe?  It was a scary thought.

                But not a super realistic one, Chloe admitted to herself as she lovingly stroked Max’s hair.  There was no way that she could really matter enough to actually cause that storm, right?  She mattered to her mom, she knew.  To David too, she supposed, even if he was really shitty at actually showing it.  She’d thought she’d mattered to Rachel, but not enough to be more than a secret girlfriend, it seemed.  She _definitely_ mattered to Max, and that was what was most important to her.  But to major weather systems?  It seemed like Hollywood bullshit.

                In response to Chloe’s hand running through her hair, Max gently began to wake, stretching as well and groggily opening her eyes.  Chloe smiled down at her, trying to pretend she hadn’t been thinking about heavy existential shit.  Max had worried about her enough.

                “Good morning,” Max greeted, smiling lazily and curling to rest her head in Chloe’s lap.  Automatically, Chloe reached down to stroke her hair again.

                “And a good morning to you, too,” Chloe replied, lightly tracing her fingers along Max’s jaw, “Did I tire you out enough that you slept fine the rest of the night?”  Max snorted.

                “I slept like a rock,” she conceded, “You’re so competitive.  I should have goaded you into trying to win at sex sooner.” 

                “Hey, I only live everything once,” Chloe pointed out, “I’ve got to fit in as much as I can.”  She hadn’t planned it, but she laughed at the double entendre.  Max blushed, but otherwise let it slide, eventually sitting up as well.

                “So, what are our plans for today?” Chloe asked once her Max was facing her.

                “Reading for school, mainly,” Max said glumly, shrugging, “But that’s just me.  _You_ can do whatever you want.”  That was technically true, but Chloe was reluctant to ever let Max out of her sight, and she definitely didn’t want to just go and wander around Seattle while Max stayed at home working.

                “Eh, it’s a little cold and wet out, I think,” Chloe remarked, touching the back of her hand to the cool glass of the window, “And I don’t know what I’d go and do, anyway.  I’ll just stay her with you.”

                “We could start a fire,” Max noted, and Chloe stared at her quizzically.

                “In the fireplace,” she clarified, a little sheepishly, “We could light a fire in the fireplace and cuddle up in the living room while I do my reading.”

                “Sounds great,” Chloe said, grinning.

***

                Chloe wasn’t sure if it was possible to feel any warmer than she did in that moment.  Naturally, one could feel hotter.  But _warm_ , meaning comfortable, safe heat, seemed perfectly encapsulated in that morning.  The light rain outside had gotten a little heavier, pattering steadily against the windows, and the house was a little cold, the heat having been left off during the Indian Summer of the past few weeks.  But Max’s living room felt nice and toasty, with a crackling fire going in the fireplace.

                Chloe was sitting at one end of one of the couches, settled in the corner of the arm and the back.  Max reclined next to her, leaning against her as she read.  Both of them shared a soft, wooly blanket, draped over Chloe’s lab and wrapping around Max.  The warmth of the petite brunette snuggled up next to her, sealed in beneath the blanket and bolstered by the heat of the fire, made Chloe feel amazingly cozy and comfortable.  She kept one arm draped around Max, holding her close, while the other alternated between checking Facebook on her phone and reading a novel she’d borrowed from the library the other day.

                At length, Max closed the book she’d been reading and set it down on the floor, giving off a satisfied sigh.  In response, Chloe set down her own book and glanced down at her companion.

                “Okay, I’m done with that section,” Max declared, maneuvering her arms up to stretch and flex her fingers, “In case you were wondering, there were no actual teapots involved in the Teapot Dome Scandal.  Or anything else I’d be interested in.”  Chloe laughed quietly.

                “Condolences,” she replied, leaning down and giving Max a light kiss on the scalp, “Although I don’t know how you could possibly make a real teapot scandalous.  Maybe draw a boob on it, I guess.”  Max giggled.

                “Or make it in the _shape_ of a boob,” Max suggested, “Where the nipple is the spout.”

                “Oh, naturally,” Chloe agreed, gently squeezing Max and grinning as they joked.  As their laughter died down they settled into a comfortable silence, just cuddled up together by the fire on a rainy day.  Softly, Max snuggled up closer, resting her head on Chloe’s chest and closing her eyes, smiling contentedly.

                “I could get used to this,” she murmured, reaching up and snaking her arms around Chloe’s neck, “Will we have a fireplace one day?” Chloe considered the question.  In her head, she’d just kind of been assuming that she and Max were going to stay together for the rest of their lives, but she hadn’t really thought too hard about what their life together might look like.  Max was hella talented, and maybe she could really hit it big as a photographer, but it struck Chloe that she really didn’t bring much to the table, financially.

                “Sure,” Chloe replied, trying to just focus on fantasy and not logistics, “And a balcony overlooking the ocean.”  Max smiled up at her.

                “And a wine cellar?” she asked hopefully.  Chloe raised her eyebrows and feigned shock.

                “Max Caulfield, you want a wine cellar?” Chloe pretended to clutch at imagined pearls.

                “I don’t get trashed on cheap vodka and expired beer,” Max admitted, “But I’ve had a fair share of wine in my time.  Mostly at like holiday dinners and stuff, but still.”  Chloe filed the information away for later.

                “Well in that case, we can have a wine cellar,” Chloe replied, “And a forest for a backyard.”  Max pulled herself up a little and nuzzled into the crook of Chloe’s neck.

                “It sounds perfect,” she murmured.  Chloe agreed, but couldn’t help feeling a little anxious about it all.  She didn’t exactly have the means to give Max a big house with a fireplace and wine cellar, overlooking the sea and abutting the woods.  She had a truck, a bedroom, and that was about it.

                “Being with you is perfect,” Chloe whispered back, “Anything else is just icing on the Max cake.”  The brunette in her arms smiled and moved up for a kiss, dwelling at her lips for an endless moment before resting her forehead against Chloe’s and opening her eyes.  Her blue, enchanting eyes that Chloe loved to get lost in.

                “Chloe Price, I will buy you a big beautiful house one day,” Max declared, smiling and touching her hand to the side of Chloe’s face, “I will be a big, famous artist making hella cash, and you can be my loving housewife.”  The tone was ridiculous, but Chloe loved it.  She loved being silly with Max.  She loved thinking about a happy future with Max.  She loved that Max talked about what they would do together, not what she expected Chloe to do for her.  Mostly, she just loved Max.


	19. Ho-hum Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe take a walk around a graveyard for Halloween, and Chloe reassures Max that there's no place she'd rather be than at her side.

                Max shivered as she followed behind Chloe, glancing around.  Halloween in a graveyard had sounded fun at the time, but in practice it turned out to be cold and dark.  And a little spooky…

                “C’mon, c’mon!” Chloe hissed, glancing over her shoulder and smiling, “There’s a really cool looking crypt over here!”  Max hurried after her, camera in hand.

                When she caught up, Chloe was lounging against the sealed door of a large marble mausoleum.  Her face was pale, made up to make her look ethereal.  When Max had asked what she was supposed to be, Chloe replied that she was “a scary punk ghost.”  For her part, Max had put on a set of bunny ears…

                “Get a pic!” Chloe urged, posing as Max crouched and lined up the shot.  After the first photo slid out of the camera, Chloe shifted, moving from pose to pose as Max snapped a picture of each.

                “Very nice,” Max remarked, bringing her camera down and gathering up the photos from where they had fallen to the grass.  When she looked up again, Chloe was sitting against one carved column on the crypt, smirking.  Standing, Max walked over and handed her the pictures, settling down across from her and shivering again.

                “These _are_ good, Max,” Chloe agreed, smiling at the brunette as she looked through the small stack of photographs, “You’re on a roll tonight!”  Max scoffed.

                “An entire roll, actually,” she noted, tapping the camera, “Those were the last shots left in this roll of film.  So no more pictures tonight, I guess.”  She was a little disappointed she was out of film already.  Initial discomfort aside, she’d found that taking pictures of the monuments in the cemetery, sometimes on their own and sometimes with Chloe posing, to actually be pretty fun.

                “Well, balls,” Chloe grumbled, handing the photos back to Max to be stowed with the others, “What do you want to do now?” Max thought for a moment, reluctant to head home quite yet. 

                “Let’s walk around the rest of the cemetery,” she suggested, “We’ll finish the loop, then we can drive back home.”

                “Sounds good to me!” Chloe replied, standing and reaching out a hand to help Max up, “Shall we?”  Giggling a little, Max took her hand and pulled herself to her feet. 

                The two of them walked leisurely along the path, quietly taking in the moonlit scenery.  Again, Max shivered, mostly from the cold.  To her surprise, she felt something warm draped over her shoulders.

                “Any better?” Chloe asked, releasing her jacket and smiling hopefully.  Grateful for the warmth, Max pulled the coat closer around herself.

                “Much,” she replied, smiling back, “But aren’t you cold?” Chloe shrugged and scoffed.  It was bullshit, Max knew, but Chloe was still accustomed to acting tough.

                “Nah, I’m plenty warm,” Chloe assured her, “I don’t want my girl getting a cold or something.”  The term of endearment made Max smile.  _Her_ girl.  Maybe it should have sounded possessive, she thought.  But mostly it sounded sweet, and made her glow.

                “All the same,” Max replied, taking the jacket off and handing it back to Chloe, “I don’t want _my_ girl getting a cold, either.” Chloe blushed at her words turned back on her, and Max grinned.  She loved it when Chloe blushed like that.  She looked so cute, all the more so because she usually tried to act tough and aloof.

                “You’re putting me up for like three months for free,” Chloe pointed out, trying to drape the jacket over her again, “Seriously, the least I can do is lend you my jacket.”  Max rolled her eyes a little and twisted out of Chloe’s grasp, snatching the jacket and sliding the sleeve back up Chloe’s arm.  Accepting her fate, the taller girl slipped back into the jacket.

                “How about this, instead?” Max suggested, snuggling up next to Chloe and pulling the taller girl’s arm around her shoulder.

                “This works,” Chloe agreed, smiling as she held Max close to her.  Happily, Max wrapped an arm around Chloe’s waist as they walked.  She knew it probably wasn’t the most exciting Halloween of Chloe’s life.  She hadn’t asked, but she figured Chloe would have preferred to go to a wild party, or pull some vandalism.  Max, on the other hand, had spent her Halloweens since aging out of trick-or-treating helping her parents give out the candy.  Not exactly a wild night.  So she had hoped that late night pictures in the cemetery would be a good middle ground.

                At length they reached the gate and slipped through the gap they had exploited.  Glancing around to make sure they were still undetected, the two scurried across the street to where Chloe had parked, hopping into the cab of the truck.  It would seem the night was coming to a close, Max conceded to herself.

                “So, did you have a good time?” Max asked, trying to suss out whether this Halloween had been a dud for Chloe.

                “Sure,” Chloe answered, her voice cheerful, “I got to be a scary punk ghost, haunting the graveyard!”  Max smiled to herself.

                “Scary punk ghost haunting the graveyard, punk fairy taking over the forest,” Max recounted, “You’re kind of leading a punk takeover of the whole state!” Chloe laughed.

                “What can I say?  I’ve got hella charisma!” the taller girl replied, chuckling.  Max still wasn’t sure if Chloe was satisfied, but at least she was pretending to be, if nothing else.

                With a little direction from Max, they eventually got back to the Caulfield house, parking in the driveway as usual.  It felt a little late for Max, but in reality it was only eleven, a good hour before her weekend curfew.  Time travel powers aside, she had to admit that she wasn’t particularly exciting.  Not like Chloe.  Hell, the door wasn’t even locked when they got to the end of the front walk.

                “Oh, hey girls!” Mom greeted as they came in, “Did you have a fun, spooky Halloween?”  She stepped out of the kitchen and into the hallway.

                “Yeah,” Max replied, kicking off her shoes as she closed the door behind her, “I got some really good shots.”

                “Just so long as you weren’t _doing_ shots,” her mother joked, “The neighbor kids missed you, but I’m glad you had fun!”  Turning, Max’s mother returned to the kitchen, probably on her way to the den.  Max’s parents always watched “Hocus Pocus” after the trick-or-treaters finished for the night.  God, her family really _was_ dull!

                “I’m, uh, sorry we didn’t do something more exciting,” Max mumbled once she and Chloe were back in her room.  The taller girl looked at her quizzically, shrugging out of her jacket and hanging it on one of the hooks on the door.

                “What do you mean?” Chloe asked, “I thought you said you had fun.”

                “I did,” Max replied, “But, I mean, you’re probably used to doing wild stuff on Halloween, not just posing for pictures and going for a walk.”  She fidgeted a little, anxious to finally give voice to the concern she’d had all night.  Chloe sighed and took Max in her arms.

                “Max, do you know what I did last year on Halloween?” she asked, her voice a little bitter, “I got hella baked out in the junkyard with Trevor and Rachel, and then we played chicken with trains until Trev nearly got hit because he was so spaced out.”  She sighed, squeezing Max a little closer, “So yeah, I’ve had more exciting Halloween nights.  But this one tops all of ‘em.  Because I got to spend it with you.”  Max blushed a little, and nuzzled her face against Chloe’s shoulder.

                “I’m glad I could make it worth your while,” Max murmured, pressing her cheek to the warm skin of the crook of Chloe’s neck. 


	20. Attempted Pancakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe tries her hand at cooking, with mixed results. She and Max make plans for a date night.

                Chloe examined the recipe, frowning a little.  She’d never really been much for cooking since Dad died, and she’d been able to microwave shit and bum diner food ever since.  But she was tired of eating dry cereal (especially since Max’s parents wouldn’t buy Froot Loops or anything like that, just organic oat flakes and crap), and she had a lot of time on her hands.

                Trying her best to remember what to do, she cracked the egg on the rim of the mixing bowl, emptying the contents into the basin.  Mostly.  Grumbling, she wiped the gooey dribbles of eggwhite from the countertop, and then fished a few shards of shell out of the bowl.  Once things looked more or less passable, Chloe began to stir.  Or beat?  That’s what the recipe called it.  Chloe snickered to herself.  She was beating it in the kitchen…

                She added the milk and butter next, stirring them in with the egg until it was all just kind of an even slurry.  Checking the next step, she poured in the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar, going on to mix all of that in as well.  It _looked_ like it had the right consistency, so she set the griddle on the stovetop to heat.

                “Here it goes,” Chloe muttered, pouring out dollops of batter onto the heated griddle.  They sizzled, and she carefully watched the puddles, trying to gauge when she should flip them.  Eventually, she just went ahead and slid the spatula under each pancake, flipping them one after another.  Waiting what seemed like the same amount of time, she scooped the pancakes up and piled them on a plate.  Turning off the stovetop, she took two forks and knives and walked over into the dining room.

                Max sat at the head of the table, books and papers laid out in front of her as she worked.  Her hair was disheveled, and she had just pulled on a T-shirt and sweatpants that morning, diving straight into work when they’d gotten out of bed.  Chloe was pretty sure the little brunette hadn’t actually eaten anything yet today, which had been part of the reason she’d decided to try cooking something.

                “Max, I brought you noms!” Chloe declared, sitting down near her beleaguered companion and placing a set of silverware by her hand.  Max looked up, glancing first at Chloe, then the pancakes, then Chloe again.

                “Did you actually _cook_?” Max asked, smiling and looking a little surprised, “These aren’t Eggo toaster pancakes, are they?”

                “No, they are not Eggo toaster pancakes,” Chloe assured her, “They’re real life, made from scratch flapjacks.  Try one!”  Taking her knife and fork, Max cut a bite from one pancake and brought it to her mouth.  She chewed for a moment, then swallowed.

                “Oh, they’re good!” Max declared, giving a smile.  Skeptical, Chloe took a bite as well.  Just as she’d feared, the pancake didn’t taste particularly good.  Not _bad_ , per se, but she figured there was only so far you could really screw up pancakes.  Mostly, it just tasted kind of bland, and a little gritty.

                “You’re lying,” Chloe replied once she’d swallowed, “But it’s sweet that you did…” Max looked away sheepishly.

                “I wanted to be encouraging,” she mumbled, turning her page in the textbook, “But they’re alright, though, really!  Especially for a first attempt!” She turned back to Chloe, smiling and looking a little apologetic.

                “Well, hopefully the next batch will turn out better,” Chloe remarked, taking another underwhelming bite, “One of us is gonna have to learn to cook…”

                “I can cook,” Max protested, gulping down a few more bites of Chloe’s pancakes.  Chloe raised her eyebrows, smirking.

                “Yeah?” she asked, “Because we’ve been at your house for like a week and a half now, and all either of us has ‘cooked’ has been a bunch of PopTarts, Eggo waffles, and frozen tater tots.  Well, and these pancakes.”  Max shot a playful and defiant look at her.

                “Mom and Dad are gonna be out at a thing tomorrow night,” Max stated, “So, Chloe Price, I am going to cook us a romantic dinner!”  Chloe grinned, liking the sound of that.

                “Oh, really?” she challenged, echoing Max’s playful tone.

                “Yeah, really!”  Max stuck her tongue out at Chloe, who feigned offense.

                “Fine!”

                “Fine!” They sat in silence for a few minutes, quietly chewing on Chloe’s attempted pancakes as Max worked and Chloe watched her, smiling.  Sharing a room, cooking for each other.  Holy crap, it was almost like they were real grownups!

                “But really, though,” Max noted, swallowing her last bite of pancake, “These actually weren’t that bad.”  She always knew just what to say…


	21. Dinner Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe enjoy a romantic dinner together

                Max hurried between the kitchen and dining room, setting the table while making the final preparations on dinner.  It wasn’t like she’d cooked up some kind of gourmet feast or anything.  Just some rosemary chicken breasts, twice baked potatoes, and a simple salad.  Despite her bragging the day before, she had needed to consult the internet once or twice, and nothing she’d cooked had even really been that complex.  But she still wanted everything to be perfect.

                Setting the two plates across from each other at the table, she carefully arranged the silverware and napkins.  The fork went on the left side, right?  Crap, what about the napkin?  If she got it wrong, would Chloe care?  Would she even notice?  It didn’t seem like something that would particularly bother her, but Max was still anxious.  At length, the table was set, the lights were dimmed, and the candles were lit.  Taking a deep breath, she walked to the foyer and stood at the foot of the stairs.

                “Okay, dinner’s ready!” Max called up, “You can come down, now!”  After a moment, Chloe appeared at the top of the stairs and started to descend.  She had dressed up in the same outfit she’d worn on their first night in Seattle, the dark blue shirt and jeans with the black tie.  She probably hadn’t packed any other nice clothes, Max realized.  Considering how gorgeous Chloe looked in that outfit, though, Max hardly thought she needed to have packed anything else.

                For her part, Max had worn a white blouse and burgundy knee-length skirt.  They weren’t going out for a night at the opera or something, but Max hoped she looked pretty.  Especially when compared to how much Chloe made her want to melt, she started to feel a little underdressed.  The taller girl didn’t say anything about it though, and Max led her into the dining room.

                “This looks really good, Max,” Chloe remarked as the two of them sat down, “Like, really.  And you put out a nice tablecloth and everything.  You really went all out!” Max blushed a little.  She was glad Chloe was impressed with her effort.  It remained to be seen whether the meal would be anywhere near as impressive, but the night was off to a good start.

                “Thanks,” Max replied, unfolding her napkin and settling into her seat, “I mean, I’m not any kind of great chef or anything.  But I hope you’ll like it…”  Chloe smiled at her, and cut a bite of chicken off, bringing it up to her mouth.  The blue haired girl’s face brightened as she chewed, and she smiled and nodded at Max as she swallowed.  Taking a bite herself, Max was relieved to find that the chicken was, indeed, pretty good.  Not anything special, but good for something home-cooked by a teenager.

                Their conversation flowed nicely as the two ate.  Chloe’s table manners weren’t great, Max noticed, but she did seem to be making an effort.  It wasn’t like Max cared too much anyway, though.  So long as Chloe was happy, she wasn’t going to get too picky. 

                But to see Chloe happy!  Her sweetheart had been improving steadily over the last several weeks.  When Max and Chloe had first reunited that day in the parking lot, Chloe had seemed so hard, so rough, and, most of all, so bitter.  The rest of that week had been a rollercoaster, with Chloe bouncing from giddy to catatonic, apathetically resigned to loud and angry.  Since they’d left Arcadia Bay, Chloe had been settling down, and Max was glad. 

She was still plenty punk, of course.  Chloe was Max’s dear friend in any reality, but the raw Chloe, full of attitude and defiance, was the Chloe Max had fallen in love with, and she had no desire to see that Chloe fade into “normal.”  But there was attitude and then there was genuine emotional anguish, and the latter seemed to have been evaporating every day.  More and more, the smirk she’d come to love was seen alongside the smile she remembered from childhood.  Of course, she knew Chloe wasn’t going to recover from five years of loss, isolation, and abandonment in a month, but her emotional state was less turbulent, at least.

“Max, that was fricken’ amazing!” Chloe remarked as she finished her last bite of dinner, leaning back in her chair and patting her belly for effect.  Max smiled, glad Chloe had enjoyed everything.  After all the crazy stuff they’d been through together, it felt a little silly to want to impress Chloe with her _cooking_ , like she was trying to snag a husband in the 1950s or something, but she couldn’t help it.

“I’m glad you liked it,” Max replied, grinning, “But this is pretty much the height of my culinary skill.  I mean, I’ll learn to cook more stuff when I’m out of the house for good, but this is as good as it’s getting for a while.”  Chloe just smiled at her.

“I can live with that,” she said quietly, her gaze meeting Max’s eyes.  They sat there in silence for a moment, just looking at one another over the candles.

“I’m going to clean up the dishes,” Max announced after a little while, breaking the spell, “It shouldn’t take long.”  She stood, picking up her plate and walking around to Chloe’s side to take hers as well.

“Max, I can do that,” Chloe replied, standing herself and taking the plates out of Max’s hands, “You cooked, least I can do is clean up.”  Max tried to object, but Chloe cut her off, turning and walking the plates to the kitchen without another word.  Shrugging, Max snuffed out the candles and followed.

When she joined Chloe in the kitchen, the blue haired girl had already rinsed off the plates and silverware and set them in the dishwasher.  As she started to wash one of the pans, Max walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around the taller girl’s waist, pressing herself close.  Chloe continued washing in silence, but hummed as she did, and Max could feel it vibrating through her.  Could every night go like this?  As she considered a future with Chloe, it actually seemed possible.  Would it always be this blissful?  Or would they eventually start taking each other for granted?  She didn’t want to think about that.  Instead, she focused on the warmth radiating out of Chloe, and the steady beat of her heart.

“Okay, all done!” Chloe announced after a few more minutes of cleaning.  Max released her, and she turned around, leaning back against the counter, “So, I’ll admit it:  Romantic dinner date night was a success.”  Max felt her cheeks glow with a blush, and she smiled up at her Chloe.

“ _Was_?” Max repeated, her smile taking on a sly look, “The night’s not over yet, Chloe.”

“I was hoping you’d say something like that,” Chloe replied, grinning, “While you were picking out stuff at the grocery store, I, uh, bought a couple things, too.”  She glanced away sheepishly for a moment, before turning back to Max.  “So, do you, um, want to take a bubble bath?”


	22. Bubble Bath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and Max enjoy a warm, relaxing bubble bath

Chloe wasn’t entirely sure what had made her think to buy a bottle of bubble bath stuff while they’d been out.  Max had told Chloe to go and wander around the store elsewhere while she shopped, so that dinner would be a surprise.  So, to kill time while Max picked out ingredients, Chloe had meandered around the bath and body section, looking for hair products.  Her hair had been growing out, like hair does, and she would need more blue dye if she wanted to keep it looking good.  That had taken her right by a small section of bubble baths, and, on a whim, she’d bought a bottle.

Sitting in the warm bath with Max leaning back against her chest, Chloe was glad she had.  The brunette sat between Chloe’s legs, and rested her head back against the taller girl’s shoulder, eyes closed and humming.  Gently, Chloe stroked Max’s hair and pressed light kisses to the side of her face.  Based on the broad smile on Max’s face, she figured she’d made a good choice on this whole bubble bath thing.

“You’re so comfy,” Max murmured, nuzzling into the crook of Chloe’s neck.  Warm, tender moments like this were still kind of alien to Chloe, but she turned and pressed her lips against Max’s forehead, hoping that that was a good response.  She was glad Max felt comfortable, at least, and she had to admit that having the brunette’s petite form nestled up against her, sitting between her legs and wrapped up in her arms, was pretty nice.

“Comfiness is something that I aspire to, yes,” Chloe replied, smiling and giving Max a gentle squeeze, “This bony bod is full of surprises.”

“ _You’re_ full of surprises,” Max corrected, half opening her eyes and grinning, “I gotta say, a bubble bath was a big surprise, coming from you.  A great surprise, but still!”  Chloe shrugged, lightly so as not to jar Max too much.

“Eh, it was just an idea I had,” she remarked, trying to seem nonchalant, “Glad you like it, though.”

“I love it,” Max breathed, sitting up and shifting around until she was facing Chloe, “You really know how to spoil a girl.”  Leaning in, Max pressed her lips softly against Chloe’s, both of them closing their eyes and sinking happily into the kiss.  When they broke from each other after a moment, Max immediately curled again against Chloe’s chest, sliding most of the way under the water so that her chin was grazed by foam.  Acting on what had become instinct, Chloe held her close.

“I always feel safer when I can hear your heartbeat,” Max said quietly, cheek pressed against Chloe’s sternum.  Hearing those words made Chloe feel as if she was glowing.  Max was…  Well, Max was everything to her, at this point.  Her best friend, her lover, her host.  Hell, if Chloe had a god, it was probably Max, too.  But as much as she loved Max, that just made her feel all the worse when she couldn’t protect her back in October, or when even now she could barely even cook her a pancake.  But, despite being the one who was always just tagging along and taking up space, Chloe somehow made Max feel safe?  However that worked, she was happy for it.

“Well, I plan to keep it running for a while yet,” she assured, gently stroking Max’s shoulder with her thumb.

“Promise?” Max asked, sliding her arms around Chloe’s waist and clinging to the taller girl.  Chloe nodded, even though Max couldn’t see it.

“Promise.”

They stayed in the tub for a little while longer, alternating between cuddling and playfully creating bubble sculptures on one another.  Eventually, though, the water cooled, and they reluctantly stepped out of the tub, hurriedly grabbing for towels.  Chloe always felt pretty cold coming out of the shower or a bath, even in the otherwise warm confines of the Caulfield house.  She hastily dried herself off, glancing over to see Max doing the same.

“So, what’s the verdict?” Chloe asked as she wrapped her towel around herself, “Good date night?”

“ _Great_ date night,” Max replied, smiling at Chloe in that way that made her heart skip a damn beat, “You know how to show a girl a good time.”  Chloe snickered a little at the way Max finished the statement.  She sounded like some kind of vaudeville character or something.

“Who says I’m done?” Chloe followed up, stepping closer to the brunette, “Night’s not over yet.”  Max smiled and let Chloe pull her close and into a kiss.

“Chloe, a night with you is always nice at this point,” Max murmured when their lips finally parted, “But the lead up was especially good tonight.”  Chloe raised her eyebrows and grinned mischievously.

“’Always nice’ sounds a little like things are getting routine,” she remarked.  But God, what a good routine to have!  Most people would kill to be sleeping with someone they loved this much every night!  “So I guess I’d better make a date night like this one even better, to make it stand out.”  Max blushed but grinned, kissing Chloe again and then pulling away to head for the door to her room.

“I don’t know how you can make things any better than they already are,” she noted, smirking over her shoulder, “But you’re welcome to try…”  Dropping her towel to the floor, Max slowly walked to her bed, in what Chloe was almost certain was meant to be a teasing, alluring way.  Mostly she just kind of looked like a dork.  But a cute dork.  Chloe’s cute dork.

“You’re on,” Chloe replied, grinning from ear to ear.


	23. Sweetness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their date night, Max and Chloe snuggle up in bed and talk about their feelings.

Downstairs, Max could hear the front door open, and her parents come in.  Glancing at her alarm clock, she saw that it was pretty close to midnight.  After the initial noise of the door opening then shutting, her parents quieted down, but she could still hear them creaking up the stairs and down the hallway to their bedroom.

Smiling contentedly, she rolled back over to snuggle up beside Chloe.  They were both sweaty and hot, and so had kicked off the covers for a little while.  Even hot and sweaty, though, Max wanted to snuggle with Chloe.  When she was still in afterglow like this, it was practically a necessity.  She loved hearing Chloe’s heartbeat slow to a steady rhythm, and to try and sync their breathing as they lay together.

“Not bad timing,” Chloe remarked, still a little breathless.  Max’s face heated up a little, but she did have to concede that Chloe had a point.  After that awkward first morning home, the two of them had managed to keep it down at night.  Of course, she’d thought they’d been quiet enough that first night, too.  Regardless, her parents hadn’t brought it up again, which was a huge relief.  But with this special date night and everything, Chloe had been true to her word and gone above and beyond, and Max had tried to make it just as special in return.  As such, they’d been undeniably noisier than usual, and so it was good that Mom and Dad had stayed out as late as they did.

Not that they were “done,” per se.  Making love with Chloe wasn’t always linear.  Maybe it wasn’t linear with anyone, Max thought, but Chloe was her only point of reference.  Things would get hot and heavy, and they would go until they were satisfied, then cuddle and talk quietly.  Sometimes that was that, but just as often their talk would get sweeter and sweeter until they began making out again, then hands would wander, and next thing she knew they were making love some more!  Max didn’t know if any of that was normal or not, but it didn’t really matter.  It was how she and Chloe were, and she was happy with it.

“Yeah,” Max replied, finding her comfy spot in the crook of Chloe’s arm, “A few minutes earlier and things might have gotten awkward…”  Chloe snickered and ran a hand through her hair.

“Eh, we probably wouldn’t have even noticed,” the taller girl teased, “I don’t know about you, but I’m not usually listening for the door when we’re going at it.”

“You’re my whole world in that moment,” Max murmured in reply, trying to be a little poetic even as she agreed with the general sentiment.  Softly, Chloe leaned down to give her a gentle kiss on the top of the head, and Max rewarded the gesture with a coo of affection and a nuzzle.

“I love you so much,” Chloe declared, squeezing Max gently against her, “You’re so sweet to me.”

“I’m happy to be sweet for you, Chloe,” Max whispered, “But I’m sorry that someone being sweet to you is so remarkable.”  Chloe shrugged a little.

“Keeping people at a distance is something I’ve gotten good at,” the taller girl admitted, “And when you do that, people aren’t usually super sweet.  Hell, I kind of tried to push you away, but it just didn’t take.”  Max thought back to when they’d been reunited a month or so before.  Chloe had been sort of welcoming, but also pretty distant.  Plus, she had kept lashing out.  If Max hadn’t already known her, and already had such a deep connection to her, she probably wouldn’t have stuck it out.  That was an uncomfortable thought.

“I’m glad it didn’t work on you, though,” Chloe added.  Max shifted and crawled up to come face to face with the blue haired girl, resting their foreheads together and looking into her eyes.

“Chloe, you deserve all the sweetness I can muster,” Max stated, “More than anyone else I’ve ever known, you deserve to be loved and cherished.”  Chloe just stared into her eyes for a moment, left apparently speechless.

“God, Max,” Chloe breathed at last, “The way you talk about me, you’d think I’m some kind of special.”  Max couldn’t quite tell whether Chloe was genuinely shocked, or fishing for compliments.  Or maybe a little of both.  But she would have admitted the same thing even if she’d been asked point blank, so it didn’t really matter.  After all that had happened to Chloe, all the loss, all the betrayal, all the pain, Max couldn’t think of a single person more due for affection, and she was more than happy to give it.

“I think you’re special,” Max told her, smiling and cupping her cheek, “And that’s good enough for me.”  Softly, she touched her lips to Chloe’s, letting herself sink into the blue haired girl’s arms as she lost herself in the kiss.  Hands began to wander again, and soon so did their lips.  Before she knew it, Max was on her back, and she sighed happily as things took their course, that sighing giving way to panting, which gave way to gasping, which gave way to her biting down on a finger to keep from crying out.  At length, she settled back down to panting as Chloe rested her head on Max’s chest and lightly placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You make me so happy,” Chloe explained quietly, “I just, well, I just want to make you that happy, too.  And I felt like orgasms are a safe bet for that.”  Max snorted at the mixture of sweet and crass in Chloe’s words.

“You make me happy just by being you,” Max assured Chloe, lazily wrapping an arm around her, “But yeah, orgasms are nice…”


	24. Coat Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and Max visit a thrift store to buy a coat, and get flirtatious between the clothing racks.

It had been wavering between warm, mild, and chilly for a month, but the weather had finally made up its mind, and it had chosen cold.  There was no snow yet, but being outside without a coat wasn’t really an option anymore.  When she’d been packing back in Arcadia Bay, Chloe hadn’t really thought about winter, and so she had only brought her usual jacket, which probably wasn’t going to stand up to much beyond the middle of November.

Which brought her to the thrift store, to find something that would work for December.  Arcadia Bay had a Salvation Army store, and that had been, in Chloe’s mind, The Thrift Store.  But Seattle apparently had several thrift stores, according to Max, and so they had gone to Max’s favorite to try and find a coat.

Normally, Chloe wouldn’t have given much of a crap what kind of coat she got.  Not giving a crap was kind of her image, and, ironically, she tried to maintain it.  But a little voice in the back of her mind wondered what Max would think about the various options.  Would this one make her look good for Max?  Would that one clash too much with her blue hair?  Was this one too puffy to actually feel Max’s arms around her when they hugged?  Being in a relationship added a lot of variables to things, she was finding.

“How about this one?” Max suggested, pulling a navy blue wool coat off a hanger and holding it up, “It’s just six dollars!”  Figuring it was worth a try, Chloe took the coat and pulled it on, rolling her shoulders and stretching to test the fit.  It was a little loose, but she could live with that.  It fit well enough, and Max had seemed to like it, and that was good enough for her.

“Okay, this’ll work,” she stated, unbuttoning the coat and shrugging it off before turning back to Max, “Let’s go find the checkout.”  But Max had vanished, it seemed.  Glancing around, Chloe slowly walked to the end of the aisle, peering out to see if Max had just gone ahead of her. 

As Chloe stood there confused, though, something tapped her on the shoulder, and she spun around.  No one was behind her, but some of the clothes hanging from the rack swayed gently.  Chloe’s eyes narrowed, but she grinned, scanning the floor beneath the coats for Max’s skinny little legs.  Sure enough, she sighted a pair of skinny jeans peeking out from the bottom of a curtain of coats.

With as much stealth as she could muster, Chloe crept up to the part of the rack Max was hiding behind, then shot her hands in, grabbing hold of the smaller girl and giving a triumphant “A-hah!”  To her surprise, though, Max grabbed her arms right back, and pulled Chloe in between the rows of coats.  Soft lips found Chloe’s as she hunched over in the clothing rack, and she lightly ran a hand along Max’s cheek and neck.

“Surprise!” Max whispered, smiling when the kiss ended at last.

“Someone’s playful,” Chloe remarked, eyes twinkling.  Hiding in a bunch of coats made her feel like she and Max were kids again.  Except for the kissing.  That hadn’t ever actually happened when they were young, she’d only thought about it…

“You didn’t seem super into coat shopping,” Max noted, shuffling awkwardly but maintaining her grin, “I thought I’d liven the trip up a bit for you.” 

“Well,” Chloe said, taking Max’s hand and leading her back out into the aisle, “I appreciate the effort.”  Max cuddled close as they made their way to the checkout, and Chloe paid for the coat.  In cash, from Wells’s envelope.  The thing was still over half-full, but she figured she’d have to get a real source of income eventually.

“Anything else you want to get while we’re out?” Max asked, her arm around Chloe’s waist as they walked.  Chloe shrugged. 

“Eh, this is all I really needed,” she replied, settling an arm around Max’s shoulder, “A coat to get me through the end of the year.  Once we’re back in Arcadia Bay, I can just wear my normal one.

“’Once we’re back,’” Max repeated wistfully, “It feels weird to think about going back to Blackwell, like nothing even happened.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Chloe conceded, “It’ll be weird not spending every night with you.”  Max’s grip around Chloe’s waist tightened at that statement.

“I don’t want to think about having to sleep without you,” the brunette mumbled, “When you get out of bed, I get restless.”  She didn’t elaborate, but Chloe guessed what she meant.  Apparently, Chloe didn’t really survive past early October in most of the timelines Max had visited, and the poor girl had seen several of those deaths.  Based on the way that Max held onto her, and the way she would frantically pat the covers and call out if she woke up while Chloe was in the bathroom, it was apparent that Chloe’s death was a constant fear in the back of her mind.  Plus, there was all that Dark Room shit, which probably didn’t help her any, either.

“You can sleep over at my place anytime,” Chloe offered, “I mean, I hope.  Not sure if my mom will be as groovy about this as your parents are.  But she does think that you’re a good influence on me, so hell, maybe she’ll be pumped.”  Max laughed a little, and Chloe was glad to have turned things in a lighter direction.

“I’d be happy to have you over at my dorm room,” Max replied, “No rules against that.  Boys, yes.  But the Blackwell authorities failed to consider lesbianism when setting out their puritanical precepts.”  Chloe snickered.

“Ironic, really,” she remarked, “And hey, we probably wouldn’t have to keep it down so much in a dorm as at our houses.”

“True,” Max agreed, “Although poor Kate would probably be scandalized when she figured out what was causing the racket.”

“Psh, not sure what issue she’d have with any of it,” Chloe replied, smirking, “I’m diligently protecting your virtue.  Ain’t no pre-marital sex with boys going to happen for you on my watch.”  Max groaned and laughed, swatting Chloe playfully.

“Sure,” she said, “ _That’s_ what you’re doing.”

“Hey, it’s working,” Chloe contested as they approached their parking spot, “In the last month, while I’ve been spending every night with you, you have not had pre-marital sex with any boys.  I am a goddamn saint or some shit.”

“Fair enough,” Max laughed as they climbed into the truck, “Kate will be so happy to learn that I’m committed to living a life of virtue like that.  Forever unsullied by the touch of a man.”

“Forever?” Chloe asked, grinning from ear to ear.

“Yeah, do you think you can handle that?” Max replied, returning the grin.

“Sure,” Chloe answered, winking, “That’s one responsibility I’m willing to accept.”


	25. Breakfast in Bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max is treated to a home-cooked breakfast in bed from Chloe

                Waking up, Max felt around beside herself for Chloe.  It was weird enough not to wake up in her arms, but the taller girl wasn’t even in bed at all.  Leaning over, Max checked the bathroom door and found it opened onto an unlit room.  No Chloe in there.  It was stupid, she knew, but Max began to panic.  Had she changed something and forgotten it?  Was Chloe in danger someplace, without Max there to save her? 

                Max grabbed for her phone to call Chloe, but before she could pull up the dialer the blue haired girl stepped into the room, carrying a tray with a plate of pancakes, some toast, and three strips of bacon, as well as a glass of orange juice and some syrup.  Studying Max, Chloe approached with the tray, setting it down on the brunette’s blanket covered lap.

                “God, Max, you look kind of frantic,” Chloe remarked, pulling over the desk chair and sitting down next to the bed.  Max blushed a little, flustered at how worried she’d been just from not seeing Chloe immediately upon waking up.  She could probably stand to be less clingy, but it was hard not to fret when Chloe had such a penchant for getting in harm’s way.

                “Sorry,” she mumbled, “I just, uh, didn’t know where you were, and that startled me.  That’s all.”

                “I was making you breakfast in bed, dork,” Chloe replied, her words juxtaposing against her gentle tone as she gently rubbed a hand on Max’s back, “Now come on, eat up!  The bacon is Oscar-Meyer microwave stuff, and the toast is just toast, but I _did_ make the pancakes from scratch, and I swear these ones are legit!”  Max smiled and drizzled syrup over the little stack of pancakes, and then took a bite.  To her delight, they were indeed an improvement on Chloe’s previous attempts.  Much fluffier, and certainly tastier.  Chloe wasn’t exactly going to be putting the Two Whales out of business anytime soon, but homemade pancakes made with love were a nice treat regardless.

                “These are really good!” Max declared once she’d swallowed, smiling at Chloe, who had been watching her intently.  A relieved look crossed the blue haired girl’s face, and she relaxed in the chair.

                “Heh, I knew I’d get it right eventually!” Chloe remarked, smirking, “But yeah, I’m glad.  I just, uh, wanted to do something special for you.”  It was cute to see Chloe trying to be sweet.  Really, she was a caring and tender person when she wanted to be, but the traditional “cutesy” things of a relationship still seemed new to her.  Max was all too happy to be the guinea pig for Chloe’s sweetness experiments, though.

                “What’s the occasion?” Max asked cheerfully, taking another bite of sweet, fluffy goodness.  She hadn’t really been expecting an actual answer, but Chloe blushed and fidgeted a little, glancing away.  In response, Max raised her eyebrows, curious as to what she would say. 

                “It’s been, um, a month,” Chloe explained sheepishly, still looking away, “Since we, uh, _did_ it for the, um, first time.”  Max blushed but smiled.  She hadn’t been keeping track, but that timing made sense.  A month before would have been a few days after leaving Arcadia Bay, which was when she and Chloe had made the leap from “just friends who’ve kissed a few times and said they’d be together forever, but, you know, just in a _friend_ way” to “sleeping together.”  A week or so later had been when they’d made the decision to say they were “dating,” but apparently Chloe was measuring from the first time they’d made love.  Or maybe, Max thought, she was going to wake up to more breakfast in bed in a week.

                “Makes sense.  Breakfast in bed is the traditional ‘we’ve been having sex for a month’ observance celebration,” Max joked, setting down her silverware and reaching for Chloe’s hand, “But really, thank you.  This is really sweet.”  Chloe smiled at her, with the genuinely happy, touched smile that shone through when she forgot to act aloof.

                Cheerily, Max ate the stack of pancakes, and then the toast, washing it all down with the orange juice Chloe had brought.  Turning then to the bacon, she eagerly ate the first two strips, making sure to smile appreciatively over at Chloe as she did.  For the last strip, though, Max had an idea.

                “Want to share this one?” she asked, picking the strip of bacon up off the plate and then setting the tray aside.  Chloe had been good about sitting patiently while Max ate, but the offer of food made her grin and nod enthusiastically.  With a sly look, Max took the strip between her teeth and leaned over towards Chloe.

                Raising her eyebrows, Chloe leaned in and gingerly began to nibble on the bacon, making her way down the strip and towards the brunette.  Just as Max had planned.  It was goofy and silly, but Max still thought it was cute.  After a moment, there was almost no bacon left between them, and Max made the final effort to lean forward ever so slightly and touch her lips to Chloe’s, while also swallowing the last bit of crispy goodness.

                “Smooth, Caulfield,” Chloe remarked when she sat back, grinning.  As if she hadn’t seen exactly where that was going.

                “What can I say?” Max replied, “I’m just such a cunning vixen.”

                “I’ll say,” Chloe agreed, lifting the tray off of the bed and setting it on Max’s desk, “No wonder you’ve been able to lure me into your bed every night.”  Max snickered as Chloe sat down on the bed beside her.

                “Oh, definitely,” she said, “That was all me.  You’re powerless against me, and totally don't move things along on your own.”  Chloe gently grasped Max’s shoulders and moved closer, bringing her face right in front of Max’s.

                “I mean, how would I even do that?” Chloe wondered aloud, stealing quick, gentle little kisses between words, “I don’t have the slightest clue how to press your buttons.”  Max giggled into the kiss and let her hand rest on the back of Chloe’s neck, holding her close.

                “You’re a goofball,” Max whispered as she lay back onto the bed, pulling Chloe with her.

                “You love it,” the blue haired girl replied, letting her kisses wander along Max’s face and down her neck.

                “Yeah,” Max agreed, smiling contentedly, “I do.”


End file.
